"You're here for a tour, huh?" His voice was young and enthusiastic. "We don't get a lot of visitors, so I'd be happy to show you around."
Jimmy pressed a button under the desk, the door buzzed, and Aaron held it open for Hulan and Sandy. They followed Aaron through an inside foyer, then down several circuitous hallways lined with unmarked doors. Left, right, left again. Hulan felt lost and claustrophobic in here. This was compounded by the lack of air conditioning or windows. Finally Aaron opened one of the doors, and they stepped into a large room, which was obviously well soundproofed because Hulan had heard none of the hundred or so voices of the women who were working here until now. They sat at tables in long rows that ran the length of the room. They wore pink smocks and pink hair nets. Fans overhead kept the air circulating, but otherwise there was no mechanical noise. Everything in this room was done by hand.
Looking around, Hulan thought back to the plans she'd seen at Suchee's house. Why hadn't she studied them more closely? Shouldn't this room be much larger?
"As you may have guessed, this is our assembly area," Aaron said. "This is where the workers add the final details to Sam amp; His Friends, where we do inspections for quality, and, finally, where we package the finished products."
Hulan walked down the center aisle and got her first look at the Sam amp; His Friends figures. They were dolls, but the bodies were soft like stuffed animals. She stopped to watch a woman bend back the arms to keep the fabric limbs from interfering with her work, then begin to clip human-looking eyes into the plastic face.
"Have you seen Sam before?" Aaron asked. Hulan shook her head. "We don't have this in China." "You will soon enough. The cartoons will come here one day, and every child in China will want one."
How many times had Hulan encountered foreigners such as Sandy Newheart and Aaron Rodgers who thought that the China market was wide open to them if only they could break into it somehow? Just because something was manufactured here didn't mean that the Chinese wanted it. But then, who was she to underestimate the power of television? She had seen what the recent rash of news stories had done to her own life. If Knight-or the studio that made the Sam amp; His Friends Show- could actually get it broadcast in China, then these dolls probably would become a sought-after commodity.
Aaron leaned down and spoke softly into the woman's ear. She smiled prettily and put the doll in his hands. Aaron then held the doll out to Hulan. When she didn't immediately take it, he began twisting its limbs. "These products are unique in the world market. Sam, the cartoon, is an action figure in the traditional sense, but you would expect to see an action figure to be made of molded plastic and be no taller than four inches. Mr. Knight had a different idea and one that took some persuading when it came to the studio and advertising guys. G.I. Joe, Batman, Ghostbusters-all of them followed the same four-inch model. Hell, more than a few of them were made in the same molds. Mr. Knight took a big risk going soft."
Aaron squeezed the Sam doll to show Hulan what he meant, then grinned boyishly. "But Sam's insides are as tough as any hero's." Seeing Hulan's look of bewilderment, he added, "We provide Sam amp; His Friends with a steel wire skeleton. You can bend him into any shape you want." "Don't all stuffed animals have that?"
"Most just have stuffing and don't move at all. Some have articulated limbs but, again, no flexibility."
"I know I've seen stuffed animals that can bend like that."
"Oh sure, cheap things made in Hong Kong. Manufacturers have been running hanger wire through kapok for years. But this is different. Sam can hold his position, he can grasp a weapon, he can sit in a jeep. And that skeleton is guaranteed not to poke through. That means no hurt fingers or injured eyes."
"I see."
But Aaron wasn't done. "Traditionally the toy market has been extraordinarily biased by sex. Girls like Barbie; boys want G.I. Joe. But we have something unique here," he repeated as he continued to twist the figure. "We're able to appeal to girls because Sam amp; His Friends are soft like dolls and we make female characters who conform to modern attitudes of girl power while still maintaining their femininity. At the same time, boys want them and all the accoutrements-the weapons and vehicles-for their practical uses in war and other action scenarios. And it's all because of the steel skeleton. We-I mean Knight International-have patented this technology. It'll have practical applications for toys well into the next century."
"That will translate into lots of money, I suppose."
"Absolutely, Inspector."
"And you still haven't shown her the best part," Sandy interrupted.
Aaron blushed, grinned again, and said, "Sam talks too."
He pressed something on the yellow figure, and it said in a surprisingly tough voice, "Give me a hand here, Cactus." This was followed by: "All's quiet now." Then: "This is Sam. Until next time."
"Sam amp; His Friends come factory-equipped with standard phrases such as these," Aaron explained. "But this is just the beginning. Our deluxe model comes with a microchip that allows kids to program different conversations. We're talking about a fully interactive toy. The technology is still in the early stages and rather expensive-about ninety dollars U.S. for the full package. But in a year or so we'll be able to bring the deluxe models way down in price."
At last Aaron handed the figure back to the Chinese worker. Again he leaned down and softly spoke into her ear.
"Your Mandarin is very good," Hulan observed.
"Thank you. I studied it in college. It was my major, actually. That's how I got the job."
The trio continued down the aisle. On either side of them women applied different features to the faces of the colorful figures. When they came to the end of the row, they turned the corner and came up another aisle, where women packed the figures in boxes. This involved taking clear plastic straps and winding them around the neck, arms, and legs of the figures and tightening them into place on a cardboard backing. On the next aisle women attached various gizmos to the cardboard. Some got combs, brushes, mirrors, and knives. Others got pistols, machine guns, grenades, and miniature backpacks.
At last Hulan and her guides came to the door leading back to the hallway. "May I see where the other women work?"
"I beg your pardon?" Sandy asked.
"You said you have a thousand women working here. I'm guessing they're on the other side of the corridor."
"That's an empty room," Sandy answered, irritation spilling from his mouth like oil running from a bottle.
"Then you won't mind if I see it."
"Actually, our time is up."
"What about the other women who work here?"
"I'm sorry. I can't help you anymore. Aaron and I have a meeting, right, Aaron?"
"Yes, that's so." But the young man couldn't help blushing again.
"Our office will be sorry to hear that you haven't cooperated," Hulan said.
With any Chinese citizen this comment would have been understood for the threat that it was, but Sandy Newheart seemed unimpressed.
"Perhaps on another day you can come again and we'll be properly prepared to receive you." Sandy opened the door and led the way back through the labyrinth of corridors and doors. As they entered the foyer, Jimmy stood, moved his bulky frame around the desk, planted his feet apart, and crossed his arms.