by Bob Gansler
#7 - AUGUST 00	THE SHADOW FALLS

A seemingly plain and dilapidated junk floated in the harbor of the lively metropolis. The sullen pilot of the boat dutifully paddled towards shore. He paid no attention to anything else but the motion of the boat. He navigated skillfully through the other makeshift vessels that populated the harbor. Once clear of the many craft that littered the harbor area, he directed the junk directly towards an empty dock. This particular dock had been cleared of any other ships scant minutes before. While the other docks were packed with ships, this dock was empty as it awaited the arrival of this singular craft. Such was the honor due the one whom the junk brought.

Though the dock had been made devoid of any people moments before, as soon as the junk came to rest, the dock was full of those who would attend the august passenger. Their eyes were quite alert, looking for any sign of observation. These minions had 'convinced' the rightful users of this dock to clear out for the night. Now they made sure that no one of those people returned before the passenger could be safely conveyed.

The minions wore a variety of garb. Some would have blended in with the normal citizenry. Others were noticeably sinister in their appearance. Despite this diversity, they were united in their devotion to the man who was climbing the ladder from the junk up to the dock. In his long flowing yellow robes, he seemed to ascend elegantly to the top of the wooden structure. At his presence, the minions gave a collective gasp as they bowed to show their reverence. While most of them had seen their master before, it had always been from a distance as a part of the large throng of followers. At this close range, they could feel the aura of power that he emanated all the more.

One started a whispering chant to which the others soon lent their voices. "Hail Fu Manchu! Hail Celestial One!"

Fu Manchu looked up, his feline green eyes glowing in the moonlight. A slight smile crossed his lips. He nodded and motioned to them with his hand. Then he glided across the dock.

Understanding Fu Manchu's indication, the members of the Si-Fan ceased in their chant. They closed ranks around their beloved leader. They allowed the other passenger, Xan-Chi, to follow closely behind his father. The hallowed duo were quickly escorted to a waiting hansom cab. The human-driven vehicle took them to the centre of operations for Fu Manchu here in Hong Kong.

Fu Manchu peered out from under the cover the cab. He looked at the impressive skyline, a feat fueled by capitalism while the mainland suffered under communism. Still Hong Kong was China. "China belongs to me," he thought. He would see that the impertinent Cat learned this lesson.

At eight o'clock, Shang-Chi, Leiko Wu, and J.B. Reston stood in the lobby of the Ritz. The area was filled with a large number of sports reporters in eager expectation of the big fight on Tuesday night. Shang-Chi knew better than to ask for Rufus Carter's room. The hotel staff were too savvy to fall for a line like "I'm his friend" and let the information out. That had not stopped J.B. from trying to using his charm on a certain blonde beauty behind the reception desk.

A sullen J.B. returned to Shang-Chi and Leiko, his head shaking in defeat. "Who would have thought that I would come up empty?"

Shang-Chi smiled at J.B.'s disbelief. "It is eight o'clock now. I'm sure that Rufus will find some way to contact us."

Just then a bellhop tapped Leiko on the shoulder. She turned with a start and was ready to strike until she saw the innocuous uniform on the bellhop.

"Excuse me," the bellhop, said, momentarily taken aback. "Are you Ms. Wu, Mr. Chi, and Mr. Reston?"

Leiko relayed. "Yes, we are."

"Please follow me." The bellhop led the trio to a back staircase. They climbed seven flights and then came to a corner suite. The bellhop knocked and called out. "Ms. Wu, Mr. Chi, and Mr. Reston." He bowed slightly towards the trio. J.B. dug into his pocket and handed the bellhop a few pounds.

A voice called out from behind the door. "That you, babe?"

Shang-Chi sighed. "Yes, Rufus. It is Shang-Chi."

The door swung open. Rufus Carter waited in the doorway. The African-American, wearing an embroidered robe, stood about six feet four inches. More noticeable than his size was the eyepatch that he wore over his left eye. He beckoned with his hands. "Come on in, already."

Once inside, they could see that Rufus was staying in a very posh room. This corner suite was filled with all of the amenities - a bar, a whirlpool, a sauna, and a kitchen.

"Very nice place," Leiko noted.

"Very expensive," Shang-Chi added. "You were always short on cash before, Rufus. How do you afford such lush accommodations?"

J.B. snorted. This place was ramshackle compared to the accommodations that he used when he was on assignment. Were he to be forced to put up with a place like this, he would have refused the assignment. "Not bad" was all that he would say.

Rufus laughed. "In the fighting world, I'm royalty. Gotta live like it, then." His smile disappeared. "Of course, I don't have to pay the bill until after I win the fight. Then I'll have money by the pile to pay for this."

"So you don't have the money now?" Leiko said incredulously. "How do expect to pay us?"

"Rufus is always optimistic when it comes to the future acquisition of money," Shang-Chi commented dryly.

"Got that right," Rufus agreed. "Besides, sometimes it's just as easy to spend money you don't have as the bread you do have." He looked over at J.B. and then to Shang-Chi. "Hey, babe. You ain't introduced me here to super-spy yet, though he really needs no introductions."

Shang-Chi extended one hand towards J.B. "Rufus, this is J.B. Reston. J.B., Rufus 'Super Midnight' Carter."

The two shook hands and eyed each other warily. With only eye, Rufus' stare looked a bit more menacing. "Reston, huh?" Rufus commented dryly. "So that mean you really are the dad of good ol' Clive?"

"Indeed," J.B. nodded. "Though he might not be so willing to admit that openly."

"Clive's a strange bird," Rufus replied. He winked at Leiko. "Though he's got his dad's renowned taste for exotic women."

Leiko frowned. "Clive and I are thing of the past."

"Heh, heh." Rufus slapped Shang-Chi on the shoulder. "You gots yourself a good one there, babe."

"Indeed," Shang-Chi said in a voice that aped J.B.'s slight Scottish accent. He smiled at the elder spy.

"If we're quite done with the banter now?" J.B. announced. "Perhaps we can move onto the nature of this assignment." He sat himself down in one of the finely upholstered chairs. "You do have some information, don't you, Mr. Carter, or is this just some generic fear on your part?"

"Generic?" Rufus' one eye opened wide. "How generic does this look to you?" He reached over to the desk and handed J.B. an envelope emblazoned with a Chinese dragon illustration.

J.B. carefully unfolded the letter and read its contents. "Hmm," he murmured as he completed his perusal.

"Care to let us in?" Leiko asked.

"I still keep in touch with some of my informants, even though I'm in the fight game full-time now," Rufus explained. "Once you're in the 'tradecraft' as you Brits call it, it's hard to give it up cold turkey. Anyways, I was getting some bad vibes as I've been training lately, so I reached out to the snitches. Word is that a lot of money from Limehouse is riding on my opponent. A lot of people are very interested in seeing big old Lo Chun beat me bad."

"Limehouse?" Shang-Chi pondered. "Coincidence or serendipity? But what connects these disparate elements?" He addressed Rufus. "Our recent work took us to Limehouse, though I can perceive no link between those events and yours."

"That so?" Rufus responded. "Well anyway, as we've been getting closer to fight day, I'm getting subtle hints from the opposing camp that it would be better for me if I lost. Vague threats and all that, until the note came."

"But what did the note say?" Leiko snatched the letter out of J.B.'s hands and began to read it. "It says 'The Master of Limehouse'?"

"Yeah," Rufus answered. "And anybody that knows anything knows that Fu Manchu pulls the strings in Limehouse, though I thought you told me that big daddy is dead."

"Sadly, we were mistaken once again regarding my father's demise," Shang-Chi admitted sorrowfully.

"So, as pretty lady Leiko can see," Rufus continued. "The 'Master of Limehouse' would like to see me lose or serious repercussions could result, to me and to the public."

"A serious threat," J.B. noted. "You were wise to contact us."

"Yeah, I thought about going to MI-6, but with all the changes they've gone through, I didn't like that idea. Fah Lo Suee really pulling the strings over there?

"Er, yes," J.B. said somewhat uncomfortably.

"Well, I can't really trust her, and I wasn't going to go back to the Company." Rufus distaste for his former employers, the CIA, had been the result of too much manipulation.

"I would suggest that Leiko and I see if we can infiltrate Lo Chun's camp. J.B. can serve as Rufus' bodyguard and cornerman come fight-night," Shang-Chi suggested.

"Sound like a plan to me," Rufus declared. "Now that we got that part settled, how's about we discuss fees over some drinks and dinner … charged to the room, of course."

After arriving on a British diplomatic flight, Mia 'Dark Angel' Lessing and Lancaster 'Shockwave' Sneed were greeted by local MI-6 agents. The locals were able to get Mia and Lancaster's luggage (including Lancaster's Shockwave armor, over which he had fretted the entire flight) around customs and into the limousine waiting at the terminal.

The journey from the airport to one of the local MI-6 safehouses passed in relative silence. Despite the cramped quarters inside of the vehicle, Lancaster managed to don the armor which he then hid underneath some bulky clothes. The new collapsible helmet he hid in his sleeve.

Once inside of the safehouse, the local agents gathered with Mia and Lancaster in a conference room. The local leader, Patrick Shilton, made the introductions around the table. Some of the locals seemed to grumble about the arrival of the duo from the 'home office'. They felt that they had matters well in hand.

Individually they gave their reports about recent events in Hong Kong. The rise in rebel 'Reunionist' fervor was spreading across the island. They had picked up on the rumours that Britain was funding and supplying the cause, but internal investigations had uncovered no clues to that end.

Informants within the Chinese police force indicated that the Chinese were becoming very uneasy about the separatist movement. There was a fear that the notion could fuel similar sentiments in other sectors, most prominently Tibet. The Chinese were convinced that the British were backing the rebels.

"Upon what do they base that?" Mia asked. She could feel the distaste of what should be her fellow agents.

"The Chinese are keeping that information rather close to the vest," Shilton replied. "From the latest scraps we've gathered, they think that Shang-Chi is here pulling the strings."

Lancaster leaned back in his chair and put his feet upon the table. "Shang-Chi? That's daft! Not only is he still in England, but that's just not his style. Are you fellows sure you're MI-6 material?"

"Lancaster!" Mia scolded. He stared fiercely at him and then turned back to Shilton. "He is right, however. Shang-Chi is in England and has been for some time." She did not reveal the information that J.B. Reston provided to Fah Lo Suee. It was clear to her that it was an impostor, perhaps even the clone that had seemingly died in the last great battle with Fu Manchu. However, Fah had told her that this information was on a 'need-to-know' basis, and the locals did not need to know it, at least not yet.

"Well, perhaps you folks will be able to uncover more than we did," one of the agents declared rather sarcastically.

"That will be enough of that, thank you," Shilton reprimanded. He rose from his seat. "I'll show you Mr. Sneed and Ms. Lessing to their rooms. You can go over the written reports, and we can discuss matters in the morning."

Shilton showed Lancaster to his room, and then he led Mia to hers. Before she entered, Mia turned to Shilton. "What was with all of the antagonism back there?"

"No offense, miss, but we've been working loyally for MI-6 for years, through all of the shake-ups with the muckety mucks," Agent Shilton explained. "So you have to understand how the boys might take it?"

"Are you saying that I cannot be trusted since I once worked for the KGB?" Mia demanded. "Do you how much danger I faced in defecting. Have no fears about my loyalty."

"Well, then there's Sneed here. Even if we believe that he's really on our side, he's always been a few cards short of a deck. I've heard about him from before he got himself scarred and took up that Shockwave get-up. He's a loose cannon."

"Rest assured that he is firmly in the control of Fah Lo Suee," Mia stated confidently. "Lancaster Sneed serves her interests, and her interests are Britain's."

"I hope you're right," Shilton sighed.

"I am." Mia folded her arms and then sat down. "In the morning, I'd like to see what information you have on Shen 'Cat' Kuei. I would very much like to get into contact with him."

In the days leading up the big bout, J.B. had provided an inescapable shadow to Rufus Carter. Meanwhile, Shang-Chi and Leiko had managed to blend in with the contingent that surrounded Lo Chun. Shang-Chi had posed as willing sparring partner for the fighter while Leiko was ostensibly his manager. In the sparring sessions, Shang-Chi had gained a good understanding of Lo Chun's skills. He was not at all what Shang-Chi had suspected.

Shang-Chi had expected a lean and agile practitioner of the martial arts. Lo Chun was only a brute instrument. He had speed and power, and he knew the basic skills. However, there was no intricacy to his style. Shang-Chi had to rein himself in so as not to humiliate the contender for Rufus Carter's championship belt. It pained Shang-Chi to see someone make such a mockery of the discipline. He was tempted on a number of occasions to show Lo Chun the true expression of the martial arts, but he kept himself from doing so. Instead, he allowed himself to be downed by Lo Chun's barbaric blows. At night, Leiko tended to the bruises, but the distaste for Lo Chun's mockery of the skills remained.

When fight night came, Shang-Chi and Leiko sat in front-row seats that the grateful Lo Chun camp had provided. Their investigation had borne no fruit. They found no evidence of foul play being planned. They had been with Lo Chun in the locker room until the challenger made his way to the ring. No weapons of any kind had been secreted on his body. All that Lo Chun would come at Rufus would be his only brutish skill.

J.B. meanwhile had kept a close eye on Rufus every moment. Nobody made any attempts to harm the champion or to weaken him in any way. J.B. was very wary of someone trying to drug Rufus; he had seen it happen so many times in the past. Coming to the ring, J.B. felt content that Rufus was safe.

There had been a few fights as a part of the undercard before this championship match. The combatants from those fights had been cleaned up in order that they could also see the marquee match-up. Shang-Chi noted that the other fighters had also been of Oriental descent, though none of them had any links to Limehouse. Catching a few glimpses of the opening bouts on the monitor in Lo Chun's locker room, Shang-Chi could not help but notice the lack of grace in those contests. The martial arts were about grace, about fluidity. Shang-Chi practiced them as if they were a symphony. The expression of these other fighters was only raucous noise in comparison.

After the announcements had been made, Rufus and Lo Chun began to battle. To the trained eye of Shang-Chi, Rufus was clearly the more skilled competitor. He had not let the loss of an eye keep from being a deserving champion. Still, as many times as Rufus connected with well-delivered blows, he could not dispose of the hulking Lo Chun. When the giant Oriental managed to get through Rufus' guard, his blows had staggering impact. Round after round, Lo Chun seemed to not be tiring but rather getting stronger. Rufus scored more hits each round, but they appeared to be doing progressively less damage. In contrast, Lo Chun was bruising Rufus more and more.

J.B. and Shang-Chi exchanged glances, but neither had an explanation of what was occurring. Shang-Chi thought that perhaps Lo Chun was hiding something in the sparring sessions. Perhaps there was more to the brute than was apparent then. Shang-Chi wondered if Lo Chun could be one of those 'mutants' that seemed to be so prevalent in the States. There was something decidedly unnatural about Lo Chun.

The fight reached its final round, and Rufus Carter did not have much left to give. He had clearly been the better fighter, but he was wary of the judges looking too favorably on the few but spectacular strikes that Lo Chun had landed. No one had hit him like that before, and it might be enough for the judges to relieve him of the belt.

As Lo Chun rose from his stool to answer the bell, Leiko pointed at the brute. "Is it just me, or does he look bigger, and uglier I might add?"

Shang-Chi peered closer. He had been looking at the fight in terms of its movements, not necessarily the shapes that provided those movements. Leiko's assessment appeared true. Lo Chun did seem bigger. His muscles were more pronounced. Veins bulged out of his taut skin. It was subtle. Only the fact that Shang-Chi and Leiko had spent so much time around the brute allowed them to notice. It was likely that the change was unnoticed to all, save them and those that knew about it.

Rufus trudged out for the last round. His first spinning kick was blocked by Lo Chun's arm. The hulk then delivered a crushing blow to Rufus chest. 'Super Midnight' staggered and then fell to his knees. The referee instructed Lo Chun to go to a neutral corner, but the fighter would have none of it. He delivered a savage chop to the official's neck. The 'crack' could be heard throughout the suddenly quiet audience. Lo Chun's eyes were glazed over as he stalked towards the helpless Rufus.

Though he knew that Rufus would not care for it (stealing the spotlight, at least), Shang-Chi knew what he had to do. He sprang to his feet and then launched himself toward the ring. He flew neatly through the ropes, rolled into a somersault on the mat, and then sprang once again to his feet in front of Lo Chun.

The crowd had little time to react to Shang-Chi's invasion of the ring when another strange happening transpired. The fighters from the undercard rose and rushed into the ring as well. As they entered, Shang-Chi noted that they also had been transformed into more physically imposing shapes than they had possessed previously. Their eyes were likewise glazed over. It was clear to Shang-Chi whose work this was. "Fu Manchu," he muttered. Somehow, the Phantom of Fear had brought about this transformation in the fighters, all timed to coincide. But to what end?

"Always wanna steal the spotlight, don't you, babe?" Rufus said hoarsely.

Shang-Chi grinned. "Would you prefer that I allow this brute to smite you once again?"

Rufus braced himself to rise once again. His arms shook as he drew himself up. "Just don't get any ideas about taking my belt."

By this time, J.B. and Leiko had also entered the ring. Now there were nine combatants - Lo Chun and the four other fighters on one side; Shang-Chi, Rufus, J.B., and Leiko on the other. Most of the crowd were already heading for the exits. After Lo Chun's assault on the referee, they knew something was wrong. Once the undercard fighters had removed their civilian clothes and revealed their twisted forms underneath, the rest of the audience sought to flee. The undercard fighters were now hideous mockeries of men. Their bodies were even more twisted than Lo Chun's had become. Their will did not seem to be their own. They seemed to be responding to the commands being shouted by the men in Lo Chun's corner. Those cornermen barked the orders and then joined the crowd in flight out of the arena.

The nine were locked in an uneasy standoff. Finally, one of the undercard fighters, a huge sumo-style wrestler, moved, but not towards Shang-Chi and company. Instead, he went to Lo Chun's corner and tore a water bottle from one of the cornermen. He squirted the contents into his waiting mouth. His body seemed to shift even more with the draught.

"Their water," J.B. sighed. "They drugged their water."

"With some concoction of Fu Manchu's, no doubt," Shang-Chi noted. "It has mutated them into something bestial."

Rufus had reached his feet once again, with some assistance from Leiko. "They're not half as ugly as some of the homeboys back in Philly. We can take 'em."

As if in answer to Rufus' boast, the fighters finally moved to attack. There were Lo Chun and the Sumo; the others Boxer, Karate, and Jiu-Jitsu. Lo Chun figured Shang-Chi for an easy mark. Sumo joined him. Boxer chose J.B., Karate took on Leiko, and Jiu-Jitsu selected the wobbly Rufus.

Lo Chun moved with greater speed than he had in their sparring matches, but Shang-Chi was able to easily anticipate his move. His strike was effortlessly turned aside, allowing the Rising Spirit to greet Sumo with a heel to the ribs.

J.B. raised his fists as he squared off against Boxer. "Perhaps this bloke recognizes the Marquis of Queensbury, though I rather doubt it. The Boxer led with a jab and then followed up with a knee to J.B.'s chest. The blow knocked the aged spy into the ropes.

"I thought not," J.B. said as he used to ropes to steady himself. He put up his fists once again.

Karate executed a series of flying kicks at Leiko. She was amazed at how flamboyantly he attempted to fight in these cramped quarters. Nine people in the 'squared circle' did not leave a great deal of room for the combatants. Leiko ducked under each of the spinning kicks, using her peripheral vision to avoid running into someone else. Karate was too intent on vanquishing her in his crazed fury that he did not realize that his path had taken him to Jiu-Jitsu. Rufus was locked up with Jiu-Jitsu, trying to gain some leverage with his tired muscles, when Karate's foot crashed against Jiu-Jitsu's skull. The fighter collapsed in Rufus' arms.

The unexpected collision had caused Karate to lose his footing. Before he could regain his feet, both Rufus and Leiko were upon him. Rufus went for the head while Leiko went for the knee. After their strikes, Karate would not have been able to get up, even if he were conscious.

J.B. was now holding his own against Boxer. The Boxer fought with savage fury fueled by the elixirs flowing in his veins, J.B. fought with the guile of years of experience. J.B. closed in only long enough to pepper Boxer with jabs before retreating out of reach. His tactics served to enrage Boxer even further. After a flurry of jabs, J.B. drew back, and Boxer charged. J.B. lashed out with his foot, springing a blade from the bottom of his shoe. The blade sliced across the neck of the onrushing Boxer. Boxer's eyes opened wide and then he toppled.

Shang-Chi went back and forth between Lo Chun and Sumo. He struck one and then the other before the first could recover. The rhythm of his offensive did not allow him opponents to attack simultaneously. None of his blows were crushing, but they were progressively wearing down the brutes. Shang-Chi was reluctant to risk attempting delivering an ending stroke to either of them. He was not sure if that could be done in the state that they were in.

His attention was firmly focused on his two opponents. Even though there were six others in the ring, he only saw the two that sought to crush him. His mind was aware of the others. If they would come into his path, he would be able to react, but he had faith in his comrades that they would be able to dispose of the other man-made monsters.

Sumo's arms opened wide as he tried to envelop Shang-Chi. When his arms closed, the Rising Spirit was no longer there. Shang-Chi had slipped to the ground and slid through the wrestler's fat legs. He sprang to his feet behind Sumo and loosed a pinpoint chop to wrestler's skull. Sumo's neck snapped back, and then he fell forward.

Shang-Chi vaulted over the falling body of Sumo towards Lo Chun. The fighter looked to grab Shang-Chi in mid-air, but the Rising Spirit flew over him. Shang-Chi bounced against the ropes, and flew back towards Lo Chun. Before the brute could turn, Shang-Chi drove his foot into Lo Chun's lower spine. The brute arched in pain and then collapsed.

Looking up, Shang-Chi could see that all of the drugged fighters were now laying insensate on the mat. Judging by the appearance of his comrades, Shang-Chi could tell that they had faced similarly difficult challenges, but all had proved victorious.

"Well, that takes care of that," Rufus declared triumphantly. "The good guys win."

"But what does this victory truly signify," Shang-Chi wondered.

"Hey," Leiko pointed out to a few bodies laying in the aisles of the otherwise empty arena. "It looks like some people were hurt in the rush to get out."

The quartet climbed out of the ring and went to the aisle, where they found three men laying on the floor. They were all well-dressed, and none appeared to be moving.

Leiko tried to rouse them, but there was no response.

J.B. turned over the body of one of them. "The only way they might have been trampled is if some of the panicked mob were packing knives in their boots, like me." The left breast of the man's shirt was drenched in blood. "He's been run through the heart." Inspection of the other two showed the same grisly scene.

"But why?" Rufus asked.

J.B. picked up a wallet and some papers that lay strewn on the floor. He flipped through the items. "Bloody hell. They're British diplomats, special negotiators." He paged through the papers, showing the diplomats' itinerary. "Guess where they were headed."

"Hong Kong," Shang-Chi sighed.

"So this was all a set-up? So Fu Manchu could assassinate these diplomats before they could help to defuse the situation in Hong Kong?" Leiko cried.

"So it would appear," Shang-Chi admitted.

Inside of their beachfront apartment, Cat and Juliette were curled on a sofa, listening to soft music, when Cat suddenly looked up.

"What is it, love?" Juliette asked softly.

"Something is amiss," Cat muttered. He slipped off his robe, displaying the feline tattoo upon his chest. He looked around slowly, perking his ears. Then he turned quickly back to Juliette. "Get to the bedroom and bolt the door. Now!"

"What is it?" Juliette cried.

"Now!" Cat demanded. He lifted her by the arm, and pushed her towards the bedroom. Juliette complied, and moments later, Cat could hear her bolting the door. Once he was sure she was safe behind the steel-reinforced door, Cat walked to the sliding doors that overlooked the beach. He could see two dark figures standing a mere fifty yards away from the door. No one should be able to be that close, not without alerting Cat's guards or tripping one of the alarm systems.

Cat could tell there was something powerful about these two. He could sense a power about them even from inside of the apartment. He pulled open the door and walked out onto the sand.

As he came closer, he could recognize one of the duo. That one had the face of the Britisher Shang-Chi, but by the bearing and the scar, Cat knew that it was once again the doppleganger that he faced nights before. The other's appearance was unknown to him, but he nonetheless recognized the man's identity. It was the power of this one that Cat had sensed. He knew it could be no other. Though they had never met, he knew that this was Fu Manchu.

"Greeting, Shen Kuei," Fu Manchu said softly. His face was soft and emotionless, while Xan-Chi's bubbled with rage.

"So the boy has told his father," Cat replied defiantly. "Have you come to chastise me for putting your boy in his place?"

"I have come to answer your pronouncement." Fu Manchu responded. "You defeated my true son fairly. No reprisals to you are due on that account. Xan-Chi has paid for his failure. However, your statements trouble me."

"Which statements would those be?" Cat tried to measure up Fu Manchu, but all he could feel was the aura of evil that surrounded him. To Cat's ears, words rolled off of his tongue delicately, but they were tinged with spite and menace.

"You claim Hong Kong to be yours," Fu Manchu answered. "Hong Kong is China. I am China. It belongs to me."

Cat laughed. "The China you represent is long past. It is gone and never will come again."

"China is eternal," Fu Manchu replied sharply. "Communism is but a blight in time on her beautiful soul. I shall cleanse her."

"There are a billion on the mainland who think differently. There are multitudes here who side with me. The Reunionist fervor that you foment will not last long," Cat sneered.

"It will endure, with you serving my cause."

Cat shifted from his relaxed pose into a more offensive posture. "You seek to force me? Then you had better face me yourself, since I have already proven your son's better."

A slight smile curled Fu Manchu's lips. "I would welcome such a confrontation, but it would be wasteful." He nodded at Cat's impressive physique. "Your body is strong, but what strength lies within your mind?"

"What do you mean?" Cat said momentarily taken aback.

Fu Manchu stared with his green eyes deep into Cat's spirit. "The mind is the ultimate battleground. In that arena, I am supreme." His gaze remained upon Cat for about thirty seconds. Cat could neither move, nor force himself to look away. Sweat streamed down his face in efforts of resistance. Finally, he was overcome. He stood limply with a lifeless expression upon his face.

Xan-Chi stepped forward. "Shall I slay him now father?"

"Decidedly not," Fu Manchu rebuked. "I only eliminate my enemies when they cannot serve my purposes. Many times have I used those who opposed me. Dr. Petrie and Shan Greville, both relentless enemies in years gone by, were bent towards my will and unwittingly served my ends. Now Cat shall serve mine!"

NEXT ISSUE : "Fog In The Morn" – In Hong Kong, Mia and Shockwave try to track down Cat, but to what sinister purpose has Fu Manchu turned Shen Kuei. Meanwhile, Rufus Carter weighs the thought of helping out Freelance Restorations. While Shang-Chi would like to head for Hong Kong, new elements from Limehouse come into play.

KUNG FU WRITING

Rufus Carter made his debut in Master of Kung Fu #96. He appeared a few more times after that. I thought that he was an very entertaining character, so that's why I brought him into the mix.

Bob Gansler
23-Aug-00