Dragon Sim-13

POSTSCRIPT

The newspaper was filled with news of the American invasion of Panama. The old man had no time for that. His interest was drawn to a smaller article.

Meng rubbed his old scar as he read. Members of Congress were reacting with outrage to a report that the president had sent a high-level diplomatic mission to China only a few weeks after the Tiananmen Square massacre. The trip by Mr. Eagleburger and Mr. Scowcroft had violated the president's own ban on such liaisons, the paper reported. Additionally, the secretary of state had just told reporters that a trip made last week was the first high-level contact the administration had had with the government in China. The media did not like being lied to.

Meng shook his head. He knew why that first trip had occurred so soon after the massacre, but he would never be able to tell anyone. The Americans still used his knowledge, but now he was well guarded and had no access to anything of a critical nature.

His stomach twisted in disgust as he continued reading the article. The administration also had just announced negotiation of a $300 million sale of three satellites to China. The president was determined to maintain commercial relations with the People's Republic of China.

The almighty dollar ruled. Meng wondered what would happen when the dam finally broke in China. How would the present American course of action look then?

Meng knelt on his praying mat and said a prayer to the souls of the men, American and Chinese, who had died because of his manipulations. He had done what he could and failed. It made all those deaths seem much less worthy.