McCormick asked, “And who are you, exactly?”
“Colonel James Douglas. Formerly of His Majesty's Special Air Service.” The Scotsman smiled as he added ironically, “Retired, of course.”
“And Mr. Cortez paid for your services in this war?”
“Indeed he did, sergeant.”
McCormick turned to me, "Well, I guess you're the one to ask then. Why are you all here helping the Taiwanese?"
My stomach churned. As if I could adequately explain to Sergeant Clay McCormick, original instigator of the mutiny of the Knights of Taipei, why I formed a group so obviously emulating his own.
"I wouldn't be a billionaire today if a Taiwanese venture capitalist hadn't taken a chance on my company. There are a lot of people around the world who owe Taiwan for the advances of the past fifteen years. And, if we keep them independent of the corruption of the People's Republic, maybe their magic can catch on back home."
McCormick nodded. "And why did you break me out?"
"A Knight coming back from the dead will strike fear into the hearts of the Chinese. The U.S. is still in shock over the loss of the carriers and they need a victory. Your reappearance will give them one."
McCormick unconsciously rubbed his chest, scratching at the lingering scars of his bullet wounds. "When can I go back in the field?"
This had been the topic of heated debate between Douglas and me. I wanted McCormick safe, a trophy to be kept away from the battlefield. Douglas insisted he be put in the field. "The lad has more combat experience than anyone alive today and the Knights trained him to bloody perfection. We'd be daft not to make use of him."
Douglas had won the argument. I told McCormick, "You're going on the next operation. But before then, you're going to be reintroduced to the world."
When deciding what to bring to China, I had remembered the sensational reception of the Knights' YouTube videos. I had my assistant buy a professional grade camera and video editing software, which Fei now fiddled with to prepare for recording.
As I considered where to do the filming, the rest of the team watched in amusement. Douglas was not quite as amused. “How are people even going to know we're in China? There must be a thousand little shits out there making knock-off videos, pretending to be the new Knights.”
“I think McCormick is going to be a pretty good indicator of authenticity. And, of course, I am not wholly unknown to the public either.”
“But how will they know we're in China?”
“Good point. When I'm editing the recording, I'll be sure to splice in some footage from Volodya, Dietrich, and Taleb's video feeds. Maybe even some from the bridge raid.”
Douglas was aghast. “The Chinese will know our damn tactics!”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “Obviously, I won't include footage of the gadgets. I'm talking about the parts where they're firing guns. Surely, the Chinese have deduced by now that we are using firearms.”
I learned how to edit videos on the fly, and I like to think I had a knack for it. Since I was not a soldier and was only an amateur strategist, creating the videos was one of my few unique contributions to the enterprise I founded.
Speaking of the enterprise, it was at the point of filming that first video that I realized our group still did not have a formal name. I put the issue to the group, soliciting their input.
Douglas suggested "Task Force 61" in honor of the sunken U.S. fleet. It might have worked as a way of appealing to Americans, but it was hardly the type of name to strike fear into the hearts of the Chinese. After all, they had not had too much trouble dispatching the first Task Force 61.
Dietrich suggested "Unit 4." When pressed for explanation, he said, "The oriental mind recoils in fear from the number four. Maximum psychological effect." To Dietrich's bewilderment, that comment provoked laughs. “What's so funny?”
Volodya said, “It's a goddamn number. How scary can it be? Besides, the name also sounds like a boring television show.”
Jed, recovering from his surgery, suggested, "The Avengers" after the movie. Groans ensued.
McCormick said, "The Lafayette Initiative.”
The rest of the men went quiet. They had barely said a word to McCormick, and despite the fact that he was one of the youngest men present, the men were intimidated by his fame and that of the Knights.
I asked, “Why that name?”
McCormick explained, “With the exception of Priest and Fei, none of us are Taiwanese. We're all foreigners who decided to come to the war because we believed in the cause.” He hesitated a moment, then added, “Or because we wanted the money. The Marquis de Lafayette also blurred the line between mercenary and volunteer when he came to the States to fight in the Revolution. He was also a foreigner fighting for someone else's good cause. And Americans will know his story."
I asked, “Why 'initiative'? Makes us sound like a Robert Ludlum novel.”
“We aren't a real unit, a team that will go on to other missions together. You formed the group for a purpose. One purpose. One initiative.”
That explanation satisfied me. “Anyone else have an objection?”
No one did.
“Alright, Sergeant McCormick. Hope you're ready to resume your YouTube career.”
The video started with me sitting in the living room, sun streaming in through open curtains. While that may not have been the most discrete way of doing things, we wanted a strong visual contrast with the style of terrorist videos.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Ding Cortez, founder and CEO of Merlin Printing. I've taken a leave of absence from Merlin to organize my latest venture, the Lafayette Initiative. Our purpose is to hamper and defeat the People's Liberation Army in its attempted conquest of Taiwan. We recently destroyed the People Liberation Army's rail supply bridge outside Quanzhou."
The video cut to footage of the bridge raid, beginning with Volodya and Jed firing their weapons and ending with the explosion of the bridge from Priest's glasses camera. I had kept the sound of the gunfire, the screech of the train's brakes, and the bass profundo of the explosion, all of which had been recorded on the highest-quality microphones that money can buy. In another conscious contrast with terrorist videos, I had, through painstaking editing, avoided any violently graphic images.
After a minute-long quick cut synopsis of that attack, the video cut back to me.
"We also recently recruited a new member, a man with a great deal of experience and the very finest credentials."
The camera zoomed out to reveal a grinning, well-dressed McCormick sitting a few feet to my right on another easy chair in the living room.
I continued, "Sergeant McCormick, recently of the Knights of Taiwan, survived being shot by Marshal Deng in Taipei. He was transferred by the Chinese to a hospital in Quanzhou, where my men recently staged his rescue."
Next came another minute long compilation from the assault on the hospital. Details like the cyborg bee and the costume worn by the men were omitted. The segment ended with the team's retrieval of McCormick from his hospital room.
I turned to face the younger man and offered my hand. "Welcome aboard, sergeant."
McCormick shook my hand. "Thank you, sir. I look forward to finishing with you what the Knights and I started." That much had been scripted. He delivered the rehearsed line stiltedly, then added with some emotion, "I wish there were more of us left to help."
I turned back to the camera. "To the ordinary people of eastern China, I give you this warning: stay clear of military targets. We will never deliberately attack you, but war is a dangerous thing. If you want safety, tell your government to withdraw its forces from Taiwan. We will continue targeting the PLA and government officials in China until this war is over. Until that time, I pledge my personal wealth, the prodigies of technology at my disposal, and my heart to keeping Taiwan free. You will hear from us again soon.”