by Bob Gansler
# 9 - May 2001	Shades of Grey

LIMEHOUSE

In the midst of the decidedly unnatural fog, Shang-Chi, Leiko Wu, and JB Reston were engaged in yet another life-or-death struggle. Coming to Limehouse in search of answers to the assassination of British diplomats at the Rufus Carter prizefight, the trio had found a host of foes intent on death. Now it would take all of their skill to survive and then hope to uncover the reasons behind this portion of Fu Manchu's schemes.

Wherever one could see (which was extremely difficult in the dense fog - a product of science, or of magic, or perhaps both), one could see the vicious devotees of the Thug sect. Shang-Chi had parried the initial pair of daggers hurled at him. Now two indistinct figures were rushing at him intent on grappling and then strangling. Though their forms were unclear, by the way that their bodies were positioned Shang-Chi could tell that they were wielding garrotes. The Master of Kung Fu steadied himself as he tried to acquaint himself with the murky surroundings. It would only take one Thug to lacerate his throat. His finely-honed battle senses told him that there were more opponents than those his eyes could see. He would have to be wary in order to survive. He hoped his compatriots would be able to do the same.

JB slipped on a pair of spiked knuckles. "Too chancy to use the revolver," he thought. With skill and speed that belied his age, he lashed out. A Thug was sent staggering back with a bloodied face.

Leiko Wu dropped suddenly to the ground and swung her strong, shapely legs in a wide arc. Two Thugs had their feet taken out from under them. She couldn't spare the time to make certain that the duo were out of commission. Already there were more Thugs emerging from the shrouds of mist.

Shang-Chi struck with speed and precision. His movement s were like a ballet. HE composed the piece with this first motion, taking into account the traditional fighting forms of the Thug sect. He allowed himself some room for improvisation in case some unexpected move or opponent emerged. Nonetheless, many of the Thugs were defeated before he even touched them. To the trained eye, to one who could appreciate the martial artistry, it was a masterpiece.

Foes, hardened by years of brutal training, still fell with seeming meekness before Shang-Chi's attacks. These were neither the dregs of Fu Manchu's forces no the most elite. Still, they and their master had expected a better accounting against these foes.

Leiko and JB held their own, although not with the dynamism and efficiency of the Master of Kung Fu. Soon all of the foes were laid low; no more opponents emerged from the fog.

"Well, that wasn't much of a bloody fight," JB declared somewhat insincerely as he wiped the sweat from his face. "I was hoping for a bit more of a challenge from these blighters of Fu."

"That we survived the encounter is of paramount importance," Shang-Chi replied. "Now let us attempt to find Chan Gho and learn what we may." The entire point of this trip to Limehouse was to talk to the historically upright businessman, and to uncover why he was involved in the assassination of the diplomats.

HONG KONG

A couple of brown-garbed dacoits had finished bind the unconscious Mia "Dark Angel" Lessing and Lancaster "Shockwave" Sneed. The man who had downed Mia, Shen "Cat" Kuei stood at rapt attention of his new master, the nefarious Fu Manchu. The Prophet of Peril chuckled with delight as he placed his hand, signifying his approval, of Xan-Chi, the clone of Shang-Chi who had defeated Shockwave.

"Tale the prisoners to the operations center," the Phantom of Fear commanded. "Be certain to leave word at the British Embassy that these agents of MI6 are in our custody. I want to leave no doubt in my daughter's mind as to who is orchestrating events here."

"Is it wise to allow these foes to live, Father?" Xan-Chi asked. "Dead, they offer a threat no longer."

"Dead they serve no purpose," Fu Manchu retorted. Instantly, Xan-Chi knew that his questioning had been unwise. "Fah Lo Suee," Fu Manchu continued, "is more likely to attempt a direct confrontation if she knows that they are alive. She may think herself my equal in cunning, but she has weaknesses that I do not possess. She entertains feelings for her underlings, despite whatever cold and callous appearance she may seem to project. She will not leave these two to my tender mercies, of that I am certain. She will come to Hong Kong. You, Xan-Chi, the true child of my loins, shall destroy the Fah Lo Suee!"

LONDON

It had not taken long for word on the developments in Hong Kong to reach Vauxhall, the headquarters of MI6. Fah Lo Suee, Director of the organisation charged with protecting Britain from foreign threats, sat at her desks, reports neatly arranged on her desk. Supplementary communiqués from the regular MI6 contingent in Hong Kong provided her with scant additional information. Shockwave and Dark Angel were in the hands of her father. Fu Manchu had made a point of ensuring that there was no question about this. She had hoped that Mia and Lancaster would have been more successful, that her father would not have re-emerged into the land of the living as stealthy as he had ever been. Those had been false hopes. Now, decisive action needed to be taken. She could not entrust the task to the agents of MI6, however capable they might be. She needed to face Fu Manchu directly.

Based upon reports from JB Reston, it appeared that Shang-Chi would soon be traveling to Hong Kong. That assumed that they trio survived their foray into Limehouse, long a stronghold for the forces of Fu Manchu. When/IF they arrived on the Chinese island, she would look to direct them against Fu Manchu. In the meantime, she needed to take a personal hand in matters.

She picked up the telephone and dialed an extension known only to her. "Han," she said when the call was answered. "You and Mingo are to report to my office at once."

On the other end of the line, the man called Han grunted, "Yes, mistress." The massive Asian had once been Si-Fan, like his brother Mingo, but their true allegiance was to Fah Lo Suee. They would follow her to the ends of the Earth, if need be.

Fah Lo Suee turned to her desktop computer and typed a few short words. A message was instantly sent to JVB Reston's cellular phone. The message was terse and direct - "Get to Hong Kong now."

LIMEHOUSE

Shang-Chi Leiko, and JB found Chan Gho's shop without encountering any further resistance. The door to the shop was locked, an unusual occurrence fore this time of day. Chan Gho typically opened for business before dawn. JB tugged at the locked door a few times before halting. He could feel the cell phone in his pocket vibrating. He stepped aside, indicating for Leiko to utilize her lock-picking skills.

Shang-Chi looked around warily. Events were proceeding in a very strange manner. In the past, he had been able to divine at least a portion of his father's ulterior motives before an actual confrontation. Perhaps this time there was no other agenda in Fu Manchu's schemes than to destabilize the relationship of China and Britain over the issue of Hong Kong. He had not come to any determination before Leiko's nimble fingers had granted them access to the shop.

Opening the door wide, Shang-Chi extended his hand to brush away the strings of beads that graced the doorway. His touch was so gentle and subtle that the beaded strings did not make a sound striking each other. Instantly, he detected the unmistakable smell of opium. "Chan Gho would never partake of opium," he thought. "Something is definitely amiss."

Shang-Chi held the beads apart for Leiko and JB to step through. The veteran secret agent had checked his cell phone and understood all-too-well Fah Lo Suee's message. He knew that it would not take much effort to persuade his comrades to follow is (if not their) secret superior's wishes. They had already been planning to go to Hong Kong before they became embroiled in the events surrounding Rufus Carter's prizefight.

There was a light in the back room behind the counter. Shang-Chi silently led his allies there. The opium odour grew stronger as they approached. The Master of Kung Fu stepped through another barrier of beads to see the aged Chan Gho sitting in a lotus position, an opium pipe on his lips, an opium bowl resting before him. Despite the typical exuberant sensations that the drug provided, Chan Gho's wrinkled face was overcome with sadness and despair.

"Chan Gho?" Shang-0Chi called out. He wasn't sure of the old man was even aware of their presence in this altered state of mind.

Chan Gho slowly turned his head towards Shang-Chi and his eyes showed the spark of recognition. "Oh," he whispered.

Walking over to Chan Gho's side, Shang-Chi sat down beside him. He softly took the pipe from the old man's hands and placed it in the bowl. He pushed the bowl out of reach and looked deeply into Chan Gho's eyes. "Why?"

"Ah, why?" was the response. "A good question."

"One for which friendship demands a good answer."

Leiko and JB meanwhile inspected the room for any potential dangers. They knew that the conversation would only be between Shang-Chi and Chan Gho.

"Yes, friendship and honor demand that," Chan Gho replied.

Shang-Chi shrugged. "You speak of honor when you were party to the assassination of peaceful men."

Chan Gho frowned his disagreement. "They carry no weapons, they talk of peace, but that does not necessarily make them peaceful men."

"Did they wrong you grievously in some way, Chan Gho? I cannot see how you might serve the ends of Fu Manchu. Was it the opium that weakened your spiritual direction?"

The deep breath that Chan Gho took spoke volumes as to his weariness. "The world is grey, Shag-Chi. Black and white are muddled in shades and hues of it. I have chosen my own path through the grey fog."

"Then you did it of your own free will? Why?"

Chan Gho chuckled and took a draught of opium. "The eternal question, is it not? I chose among greys, I chose where you would not."

"To choose death for others, callous, cruel deaths with no honor. The differences between that grey and any other seems apparent to me."

"You call what we did cruel. Perhaps it was, but what Britain did was cruel. Those men were part of the crime, through they knew their victims not. That is, they knew not the faces of their victims, but they nonetheless knew that their deeds would produce casualties."

"I know not what you mean, old man," Shang-Chi responded in confusion. "Those men only sought to bring calm to the storm that brews between China and Britain."

"Those men seeded that clouds of that storm when they ceded Hong Kong back to China!"

"The British leased Hong Kong from China, the lease which had been negotiated with British cannon, had expired. It was honorable for Britain to abide by the terms."

"Shades of grey again," Chan Gho exclaimed. "No matter how Hong Kong came into British hands, the island was better to be in those foreign hands than in those of the Communists!"

"So you allied yourself with my father out of some sense of misguided patriotism?"

"No!" A sneer formed on Chan Gho's face. "I did it out of a responsibility to family. My brothers and sisters lived in Hong Kong, and they had been advocates of freedom for the mainland. They could not flee before control passed to the 'People's Republic', a lie if ever there was one. They were rounded up and shipped out for 're-education'. That is when Fu Manchu came to me. He offered me a bargain - my assistance in his plot for his assistance in freeing my kin."

"Madness," Shang-Chi sighed.

"Your father may be many things," Chan Gho shook his finger at Shang-Chi. "He is, and has ever been, a man of his words. In years past, when Limehouse was the scene of battle between Fu Manchu and the likes of Petrie and Nayland Smith, your father always kept his word in any negotiations. For myself, I would rather live in a world ruled by Fu Manchu than one under the uncompromising heel of Communism. He said that the assassinations would actually weaken China in the end. So I used my connection to help carry out the plot. The men who allowed my family to suffer have suffered fatal retribution." Chan Gho paused, and a tear ran down his cheek. "But it was all for naught. I received word today from Fu Manchu that my family did not survive the 're-education camps. They are lost to me. I am lost in the grey." He buried his head in his hands and sobbed. Chan Gho was lost in his sorrow. Shang-Chi could only hope to try to understand the old man's motivations. A path in the grey was always unclear.

Shang-Chi rose to his fee and faced his comrades. "There is nothing more to be done or learned here. It is time that we depart at last for Hong Kong. Too many lives are quenched by the deadly breath of Fu Manchu. Perhaps it would be best if he drew breath no more."

Leiko could seen the fierce determination in Shang-Chi's eyes. It frightened her and calmed her at the same time. She had not seen such deadly fire in him before - that frightened her. The only redeeming aspect was his earnestness. There would be no equivocation, no hesitation. She knew that if he was presented the opportunity, Shang-Chi would kill Fu Manchu.

NEXT ISSUE: Shang Chi in Hong Kong, at last!

Bob Gansler
May 20, 2001