The Chinese military dedicated a Shaanxi Y-9 transport aircraft to ferry ground crews around the country ahead of Wu and Liu’s arrival on every flight so that when the Devil Dragon landed, the mechanics and technicians were prepared to receive the jet. About the size of a C-130, the Y-9 was good for lifting lots of people and supplies, but slow going on airspeed, especially when compared to the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation Y-2 °Chubby Girl jet.
After landing, Wu and Liu would do their normal post-flight debrief, write up issues with the aircraft for maintenance via pencil and computer, type out a separate report if they were testing a new piece of electronic warfare gear or avionics, and then head to their hotel or room on an air base. Wu did not know Liu that well, but was forced to fly with him because of his connection to Lieutenant General Chen. Although they flew together fine, Wu was used to squadron mates who also bonded outside the cockpit, which helped the socialization in the squadron offices at the hangar
Lieutenant General Chen always dictated which airports or airbases they were going to use, which Wu was against. Most pilots wanted the decision where to go and when, which was part of the freedom of being a pilot. One could escape the confines of earth, leaving the bureaucracy behind, and be among the clouds. Chen, on the other hand, was a hammer about free thinking pilots, and ran the Devil Dragon flight program with a sledgehammer. He was hyper sensitive about citizens taking photos, U.S. spy satellites passing overhead, and gossip of members working on the jet. By moving the jet around daily, he was comfortable with his mitigation strategy.
Last month, Wu and Liu had an unscheduled hydraulics emergency onboard the Devil Dragon that affected the primary flight controls and braking system, and at one point were going to land at an airport that was not part of the plan. Originally, it could not be helped, as when an emergency pops up and you have to land, you go ahead and land. It would have taken the ground crew about seven hours to fly to the area of China they were considering landing in, then taking up time to set up their ground maintenance equipment. It would have definitely overexposed the jet to everyone and everything. Wu decided to land the jet at the designated airport as scheduled, and luckily they did. After Chen got wind of the post-flight report and their considerations for landing, he called them in and gave them an ass chewing, loud enough for the entire maintenance department to hear. His yelling was nothing more than hot air, scolding them for even thinking of landing at another airport, but was still unnecessary. Chen told them they were to land at the airport he selects, and that was final.
Wu got a ride to the Sunshine Hotel on Donggang West Road in Gansu. After checking-in at the front desk, he put his helmet bag on the desk in the hotel room, took off his flight suit, disposed of his brown paper bag from earlier, and laid down on the bed. Wu was way more tired than usual, bordering on exhaustion. Not being able to sleep that well due to the side effects of the meds, he decided to text Ford back. He took out his smart phone and thumbed through it, and let out a long breath.
His idea was to text Ford about his medical condition, keeping it private from wandering ears of the Chinese government. He wanted to keep his cancer out of the hands of the Chinese military, and depart this life on his own terms. It was to be when he was ready. The last thing Wu wanted was the bureaucracy and red tape of the leading test pilot leaving the Chen program for cancer. He’d have more physicals, more paperwork, and more Chen conversations, all of which he hated. Wu was kind of private like that, and did not want to draw attention to himself within the flying world. What he did want was the love of family, and in China, he did not have that.
Wu laid in his bed on top of the hotel bed covers with his head on his pillow. He was alone, not only physically, but in many ways, socially and emotionally. Wu was dying of stage whatever cancer, worked for someone he despised, and had no one to spend his remaining days with. He thirsted for someone to hold him, for someone to hug him, to hold his hand while scared. Wu began to cry, to break down… and longed to have someone help him through the struggle of the pain and suffering. Why me? Why me! This happens to other people. With his mom gone, and no brothers or sisters, his only family was the Stevens family. Wu was reflecting on his life, and one of his greatest personal regrets was that time ran out on getting married and having children. He had none of the desired love around him that he once had years ago, and Wu was realizing he was doing nothing of significance with his remaining days left on earth. Here he was, lying in a strange hotel bed, in what Wu perceived was the middle of nowhere, rotting. Wu stared at the ceiling, tears streaming down his cheeks, as the reality of his disease sunk in further to his consciousness. He balled his eyes out, terrified of what was to come, and Wu was more scared than he’s ever been in his life. He looked over at where the ceiling and wall met, where the silver, circular fire sprinklers stuck out, and let out another long breath. He reached over to the bed stand, grabbed a tissue, and blew his nose.
Wu continued to think about his life, just staring off into the air. His thoughts drifted to his fond days in regularly visiting the United States, always comparing China and the U.S., and constantly thought of the U.S. as the land of opportunity. Wu figured the U.S. was a country where you could do want you wanted, when you wanted it. He always had a problem with China's lack of freedom, its economic stability… even the clamp down on how many children a couple could have. He really disliked China's political system to boot, and knew they were not capable of responding constructively to the instability. The U.S….they had their stuff together.
Wu also considered the long-term fiscal headache China was in, and compared it to the visit he had three years ago to the Wall Street in Manhattan. The markets! Based on truth! He always thought he’d be back, to visit the land of the free markets… much more honest! Wu also compared the unhealthy dynamic between Chinese society, production, the political system he hated, and the Chinese state capitalism. All these things that turned him off to China.
Wu glanced down at the floor, thinking of an article in last week’s New York Times on the future of China… massive land seizures, their caste system, and forced relocations, combined with slave wages that were paid to the masses, just depressed Wu furthermore.
In the Sunshine Hotel, room 232, Wu was coming to grips with his terminal condition. His anger at cancer was in full stride, and he was full of emotion at the diagnosis. The dream about him one day moving to the United States was not going to become a reality. His mother, before passing, would argue with him regularly about staying in China versus the United States, but Wu had made his mind up as a teenager. Wu always attempted to sway his mother’s opinion, using the demographics for his argument. “Mom, how can you believe our government? All they do is lie. We have a shrinking labor force… relentless aging… extreme gender disparity, and ah, a… a falling population,” to win over his argument. It was a smart choice on both their parts to bring up these taboo subjects, as many Chinese teenagers did not have a clue in these areas. Wu did, and it only fueled his dislike for the country of for which he was a citizen of.
It was just then that the idea hit him that he could still do something about his future. Hold everything, he thought. He sprang up in his bed, and stared at the mirror facing him. Wait a minute, he said to himself. Could it be possible? Wu asked himself. Could we really pull it off? We… Ford and me… could make it possible? Yes! No one would know at first, yet, everyone would know. Best of all, Chen deserved it. That son of a bitch. The real satisfaction in this new idea would demonstrate his true loyalty and love for the USA, the country he has loved so much, for so many years, would be shown.