The soaking wet dirt road bubbled under Marcus' shoes as he followed Ms. Han and Janette through a lush tropical forest. They had left Hong Kong (city) after walking through the rain for nearly two hours. A small boat had carried them to one of the islands that belonged to the territory and from there they had walked away from civilization until they got here. And here was… Marcus pushed some large green leaves away and looked up. A large, half constructed high-rise building was hidden away in this tropical forest. The building was surrounded by a rusty, metal fence that was covered in warning signs: 'Do not enter! Active construction site!' Ms. Han was already forcing the rusted metal gate open and sneaked in.

Janette whistled as she inspected the abandoned building and Marcus followed the two women through the gate. "This is where we are going to stay for now," Xiu said, and walked confidently towards the entrance of the building. "What is this?" Marcus asked, as he increased his pace to follow her. "A building that doesn't exist," she said with a smile. "I am sure it does exist," Janette said, and slapped the wall next to the entrance with her hand. "Physically yes, but not legally. It has no address, it was technically never built and nobody owns it. It is a phantom," Ms. Han explained. A few seconds later she conjured up a hidden key from behind a hollow stone in the wall and opened the creaking door to the building.

They walked up several unfinished flights of stairs and their Chinese guide continued to tell the tale of the phantom building. "Several years ago a certain property developer started a large building project before it was actually approved. A rival developer got wind of it and informed the authorities. Legal battles ensued, the construction was stopped and the whole project entered a legal limbo. In the end the original developer went bankrupt for different reasons and this place was forgotten." Marcus could tell that the construction had advanced rather far. The windows were already there, but electricity was still missing. "How do you know about this place?" Janette asked. Xiu smiled like a shark, "I was the one who informed the authorities." Janette laughed and Marcus realized the two women were more alike than he first thought.

Ms. Han stopped in one of the many empty rooms and Marcus put the bags down. "We can stay here as long as we want. Supplies can be bought in the nearby town," Xiu said. Her two bodyguards had no problems with the location and quickly started to get situated. Marcus took care of their bags and sleeping arrangements, while Janette started to scout the area. An hour later they had a good idea about the tactical situation and when they returned from their errands they found Xiu half naked training various CQC techniques. The way she moved her new combat knife looked anything but 'rusty'.

When the sun started to sink under the horizon they decided to eat and Xiu joined them, after she had finished her routine. The feast was rather meager, basically cold convenience store food. The general mood was somber and the lack of proper light didn't help. Their only light source was a small portable lamp.

"You are in the property development business? Not the first thing I would have guessed with your particular background," Marcus said, to make some small talk. Ms. Han showed a faint smile and said, "My late husband introduced me to the business. He was an architect." Marcus looked at her and she answered the unspoken question. "He died many years ago. Drowned in one of the tsunamis that hit the city." "I am sorry to hear that," Marcus said, and felt awkward.

For a while they ate in silence. "How large is the Brotherhood?" Janette asked, after she had finished her meal. "Thirty years ago they were about ten thousand men strong," Ms. Han said, and Marcus choked on his dried meat with chili flavor. The woman laughed, "Most of them were just members, people who worked for them. About ten percent were armed hooligans. Only a small core was seriously dangerous, including me."

After hearing ten thousand Marcus had been really worried, but now he felt a lot calmer. "Of course, this could have changed over the last decades. Given the wealth they have already shown, it is very likely they were able to expand. The number of combat troops might have risen significantly," Xiu said and enjoyed the obvious emotions on Marcus' face.

Janette saw that Xiu was teasing Marcus and took control over the discussion, "What are we going to do now? We can hide here, but this isn't a long term solution. Given the situation, do you wish to leave the country?" She gave Ms. Han a serious look. The other woman faced her with a stoic expression. "I built myself a life here. It isn't perfect, but I have suffered too much to give it all up, because those bastards suddenly want my head," she said. Xiu fell quiet again.

Marcus and Janette exchanged looks and after a minute Xiu spoke, "I know, I am stupid. I know the best option is to run, but I did this once before and I won't abandon this life. I have a few friends, a good job and clients. My son also lives here…." Marcus straightened his back after hearing this news. A son, that complicated things and asked for extra preparations. "You have a son?" Janette asked innocently. Xiu nodded, "Yes, but we aren't close. Turns out my special upbringing hadn't prepared me to be a single parent. He himself has a small family now." As she spoke Marcus could see a lot of warm feelings on her face.

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"Your contract only covers protecting me, not taking down my enemies." Ms. Han said, and suddenly changed the topic. "Correct," Marcus answered. "But, what if, purely theoretically, I would go and raid the base of my enemy?" She asked. "In that extremely theoretical case we would be forced to come with you, to ensure your safety," Marcus said, with a very serious face. Xiu pulled out her combat knife and let it move through her fingers. "I think I will visit the city again. I have some questions for the local police." The dim light painted dark shadows on Ms. Han's face, and for a moment Marcus saw the phantom of a much younger Xiu Han.

Marcus was the first to keep watch. He stood on the roof of the tall building and let his eyes wander over the dark canopy of the forest. A half moon gave some light and the animals of the night provided the entertainment. In those hours, Marcus' mind wandered through dark corridors in search of answers. People are complicated. The older I get the more I understand what that really means. She is a mother, a business woman, a friend, a widow… and a criminal who has killed people. But who am I to judge her? I have killed people, maybe more than she ever has.

If you are looking for a simple way to decide who is good and who is evil, then I can not help you. Even in my long life I have never found any wisdom that can answer this question.

If you don't know, how can I or any human hope to make a just decision.

Because there is no universal answer, you have to make your own decisions and stand to your principles. That is the only way you can hold on to your morals in this chaotic universe.

Chaotic? I always thought it was governed by unbending rules and laws.

It is, but it is also emergent. From simple rules follow ever more complex consequences until it all becomes too much for even the most intelligent beings in existence.

Are you talking about yourself, old man?

I am talking about intelligent machines. Even they can not fully comprehend all of creation and as such are unable to define an absolute truth. The world is subjective, because we are limited beings.

This discussion has gone down a rather unexpected path. But thank you Xeen, I think I will be able to figure stuff out from here.

After midnight Janette found a thoughtful Marcus staring into the night. "I could have shot you ten times," she joked and Marcus gave her a smile. "But not with that pea shooter," he said, and pointed at her heavy pistol. Both chuckled. "What are you thinking about?" Janette asked, after they were done being silly. "This and that…." Was his answer. Marcus stretched and then pointed into the night. "A few hundred kilometers in that direction lies Taiwan. Strange to be this close to it," Marcus said, and Janette followed his gaze, "Isn't the mantra: 'Don't talk about Taiwan'?"

"I think it is silly to make it a taboo. As if staying silent about it would make what happened any better," Marcus said, but Janette disagreed. "But talking about it doesn't help. Nobody really knows who did it or why and people only use the topic to reinforce their own biased opinions." Marcus gave her a look and thought for a while. "Who do you think did it, nuked Taipei and radiated the whole island?" He asked, and Janette groaned.

"A bunch of bastards, that is who. I like a good conspiracy, but even I don't believe that the USA or the Block did it. Terrorists? A cabal of super rich bozos shortening the stock market? That is too out there even for me. You were too young to remember it, but I do. The faces of my parents when the USA went DefCon 1 and the bombers started flying. We were hours away from world war three. To gamble with something like that, you would have to be completely insane." Janette ended her angry rant and took a deep breath.

Marcus gave her an apologetic smile, "Sorry, you are right. For me it is just something horrible that happened in the past that nobody wants to talk about. I start to see why. Still, somebody out there knows the truth. The who. The why…." His voice vanished into the night. Janette shook her head and pushed him towards the door. "Go sleep, your brain is fried," she said, and Marcus followed the advice of his friend.

The next morning the trio got ready to get back into the city. Janette and Marcus had chosen plain clothes to avoid any suspicion. Ms. Han entered the room after changing and said, "This light armor is incredible. It is barely visible under my clothes and it doesn't restrain my movements at all." Janette nodded and handed Xiu one of her heavy pistols. "It is made for and against class holders. Only shoot it with both hands and even then your hands will be numb after one shot. One hit can take out a low to mid level class holder if you strike a vital area," Janette explained and Xiu handled the weapon like a professional.

"This is only for the worst case scenario. If we engage with class holders, leave them to us, worry about the normal humans with weapons," Marcus said. Ms. Han nodded and then turned to Janette again, "How much does this armor cost? I wish I had something like this in the past. It would definitely have made certain things easier." "A few million dollars," Janette answered, as cool as a cucumber. Xiu gasped audibly, "MILLIONS! You are telling me I am wearing a few million dollars on my skin right now?" Marcus nodded. In truth, it was worth more than that. The armor was another gift from Vivian and it provided a defense rating normally seen on heavy armor, like the one Marcus had when he started out in Helsinki.

"Are you thinking about running away with it?" Marcus jested. "Now I am!" Xiu said, and laughed. But her face quickly got serious again, "Thank you. I don't know why you are going this far to help me, but I will take every boon I can get." After a pause she said, "I think we are ready to head out. In case we get separated we will regroup here." Her bodyguards agreed. They left the hideout and made their way to Hong Kong, to bring the fight to the enemy.

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