The Beijing Streakers

Cat didn't feel so sure of that. Behind them, she could hear the echoes of marching feet and shouted orders. The soldiers were spreading out, and some had to be entering the alley system. The two costumed riders led the athletes around several turns, and soon the noises of pursuit got fainter. Cat kept her pace up, though. She could still feel the enemy close by.

"We need to get to the Fu Ching Road subway terminal east of Tianmen Square," Sanya said as she ran. "A friend is waiting for us."

"That's only a few miles from the maze exit," Zhao Yun told her. "Once you come out, you should see a bus stop with a city map."

"A few miles?" Shelly gaped at the young rider. "We'll never make it!"

"We have to!" Sanya replied. "Keep running! Maybe we can slow down if we lose those cops!"

Encouraged by this hope, the athletes ran on. Adrenaline was kicking in now and spurring their muscles. Still, they were almost exhausted. Keep moving, Cat ordered her body. To stop is to give up, and we can't give up! Directed by the riders, she and the others made another series of turns.

They ran down a long straight alley and then into a small plaza. A statue of a longhaired Chinese sage dressed in lime green robes and holding a white feather fan was in the plaza's center. Cat recognized him from the Three Kingdoms era too. Zhuge Liang, one of the time's greatest military strategists and an architect of victory at the Battle of Red Cliff. This recognition nearly stopped her in her tracks as she remembered another detail from UT-Austin Chinese history. Zhuge Liang's archrival had been a man named Sima Yi.

"Stop at once!" the voice of that rival's namesake called from behind them. Headlights fell over the group, and Cat did not have to look back to know that the PLA Humvee had entered the plaza behind them. "This is your last warning! Wait! Is that—?"

Colonel Sima's question was cut off by a series of loud pops. His vehicle slammed on its brakes. Cat glanced over her shoulder and saw that Zhao Yun and Guan Yu had turned around, tucked their spears into their saddles, and were now circling the Humvee and peppering the area with small gray pellets. The spheres burst and gave off loud pops and clouds of white smoke when they hit the street. The Humvee backed up out of the smoke, its horn honking. A rear door opened and a tall thin man in a PLA officer's uniform came staggering out. He was coughing heavily and wore a chagrined expression on his snakelike visage.

"This way!" Guan Yu yelled, pointing at an alley off to the right. He tossed down two more smoke pellets to create a huge cloud. Then both he and Zhao Yun went down the right alley at a gallop. Heather and Sanya, catching the ploy, directed their party to head the opposite direction, down an alley to the left, and around a corner out of sight.

"After them, Xu Huang!" the PLA officer, Colonel Sima, screamed at his driver. He then jumped back into his Humvee and slammed the door. The white-helmeted driver immediately took off in pursuit of Zhao Yun and Guan Yu, who were tossing down more smoke pellets as they went.

It's time to lose those guys, Cat decided. Right now. She followed her comrades, who were thinking the same thoughts, deeper into the maze of Beijing alleys. As Zhao Yun had directed, they made several more left turns as they ran through.

"Pull back!" Cat faintly heard Colonel Sima shouting after a few minutes. "We've lost them! They've escaped! Retreat from the alleys! All forces retreat!" After recovering his composure, the PLA officer repeated these instructions in Mandarin, which Eamon translated for his friends.

"Phew," Sanya sighed. She stopped, and so did the rest of the group. They exchanged a chorus of victorious chuckles and heavy breaths.

Cat checked her GPS odometer and gasped. Had they really been running for only thirty minutes? "Heather," she said with a look at their run's instigator, "doing this was really stupid."

"Yeah," Heather agreed. "But it was also a lot of fun."

"My mom will go nuts if she hears we did this," Michael said.

Sanya nodded in agreement. "So will my fiancée."

"Well, I'm not telling anybody we did this," declared Shelly. "Are any of you guys?" The athletes shook their heads in unison.

"We made one heck of a statement," Heather said with another chuckle. "That's enough for me."

"There's a laundry line!" Eamon called out. The other athletes followed him over to the line, and they all took items from it. Most of them found shirts, skirts, and pants in their sizes, but the tall Cat, Eamon, and Michael had to be content with wearing bed sheets like togas.

"I hope they don't mind us stealing this stuff," Michael said.

"Let's leave the masks here," Eamon suggested. "That way they'll know who did it. Maybe they'll be proud to be part of a legend."

The group took off their masks and hung them on the line. Long dark hair tumbled around the shoulders of Shelly, Stephanie, Sanya, and Cat. Heather bound her wavy blonde hair into a ponytail with a twist tie from the clothesline. The other women did the same. Michael and Eamon, who both had short brown hair, kept a lookout as the women composed themselves. Stephanie found a garden hose nearby and used it to spray down their masks, destroying any hairs or fingerprints left on the fabric. Sanya nodded when they were all finished getting dressed.

"Okay," she said, taking command of the group. "That guy with the spear said the subway station's not too far. Come on, everyone." She turned and ran towards a nearby street. The others nodded at one another and followed behind.

***

An hour and a half or so later, they had arrived outside the subway station on Fu Ching Road. Beijing was quiet and empty, a soft rain having driven the people off the streets and the fireworks from the sky. The athletes had ducked a few police patrols, but met with no more serious resistance. "Where's Jennie?" Shelly asked as they came to a stop at the subway stairs.

"Over there," Michael said, pointing at a gray van. The vehicle's horn honked once, and then it pulled up alongside.

Cat's fellow softball pitcher Jennie Finch leaned her blonde head out of the driver's window. Jennie's hair was long and wavy like Heather's, while her body was tanned and lean like Cat's. A smile was on her harshly beautiful face. "Did you guys have your fun?"

"Did we ever!" Heather whooped. "I am so fucking turned on right now!"

The other athletes gave her stern expressions. "Uh, me too," Michael said, "but let's get the hell out of here, okay?"

"No problem," Heather replied with a shrug. She pulled the van's sliding door open and they all piled in. "Are you alright, Eamon? I noticed you were stumbling again just now."

"I'm tired," the male Australian said. He flashed a smile at Stephanie. "Also, I really want to rut."

"Maybe when we get back to the Village, okay?" Jennie said with a roll of her eyes. She shook her head as she looked them over. "Geez, you guys have awful fashion sense. What'd you do, rob a clothesline?"

"Yes," Cat replied. She closed the van door. "Do the IOC people know we're gone?"

"I'm not sure," Jennie answered. "Cat Two, Erinn, and the others are ready to try and cover for us if they come around asking questions, but we need to get back to the Village fast. You guys really hit the hornet's nest. A few minutes after you got out of Tianmen Square, a bunch of people who saw you took off their clothes and started running around screaming the same things you were about human rights, Tibet, and so on. They started a riot, and now the Chinese government has most of Beijing under martial law."

"What?" Heather gaped. The other athletes also looked shocked. None had expected their stunt to have such an effect. "Is the riot still going on?"

Jennie nodded. "Yes, it is. It's not nearly as big as the 1989 Tianmen Square riots, but it's pretty bad. They arrested thirty people the last I heard."

I hope our historical friends are okay, Cat thought. "Let's get back to the Village," she suggested, "before we get busted too." Jennie nodded again and pulled out from her parking spot.

As they drove, a cell phone in one of the van's cup holders started ringing. Michael grabbed it and looked at the caller ID display. "Does anyone know somebody called Frostfire?"

"Our temperamental viceroy," Heather said. "Put him on speaker, Mike."

Michael raised his eyebrows, but did as instructed. Cat smiled, also recognizing the name. Doug must have seen us on TV and gotten worried, she thought. He'll be glad we're okay. "Hey, Doug," she said.

"Cat!" the manager of Inside Out greeted her. He sounded very relieved. "Is everyone alright over there?"

"We're all fine," Cat answered in a giddy tone. "No worries."

"No worries? Cat, you were running naked through Tianmen Square. You need to tell me before you do something like that. If not me, then at least tell another viceroy."

Cat looked at Heather. "I thought you said you informed the local Friendship chapter about our stunt."

"I did," Heather replied. "I notified them ten minutes before we started running, with a text message. I didn't want to get vetoed." Everyone in the car glared at her, except Michael and Shelly, who looked very confused. "Hey, it's easier to get forgiveness than permission, right?"

Doug sighed. "Heather. What am I going to do with you?" He sighed again. "I saw you and Cat running on TV here at Inside Out and immediately contacted the Beijing chapter. They didn't know anything about it. So I called Cat Two, who I was pretty sure wouldn't be doing what you were. She told me all about your little stunt, and that I should call Jennie to find you. By then five minutes had passed, the chapter had checked their text mail, and they called me back. We had to scramble fast, but we got you out of the square okay. Fortunately, some of our key local members were in a good position to help. I wasn't able to contact Jennie until now because I've been making sure no one knows or will learn just which Olympic athletes made your run."

"Whoa, time out!" Michael cut in. "Something's going on here." He looked at Cat and Heather. "Are you guys— spies?"

"Oh my God," Doug said, hearing the ace swimmer's trademark lisp. "Tell me that's not Michael Phelps."

"It is," Cat said. "The seven of us who ran were Michael, Sanya Richards, Stephanie Rice, Eamon Sullivan, Heather, me, and Shelly Ann Fraser from Jamaica."

"I should have had Cat Two give me the roster. Thank goodness this line is secure." Doug paused. "I take it you haven't yet fully initiated Mr. Phelps or Ms. Fraser into the Friendship?"

"No, we haven't," replied Stephanie. "We were waiting on the background checks. They just cleared last night."

"What is this 'Friendship?'" asked Shelly. "You guys are spies, aren't you? That's why you were so sure we'd get away with this. Damn, I never thought there really were Olympic athlete spies!"

"Friendship members aren't spies," Doug told her calmly. "We're part of a worldwide secret society similar to the Masons and the Illuminati, but much older and more powerful. We don't have an official name, our founders thought it unnecessary. When we need to call ourselves something, we usually say 'the Friendship,' and refer to our fellow members as 'mutual friends'."

He paused to allow that to sink in, and then went on. "In recognition of how you furthered our philosophy earlier tonight, I would like to welcome you both as honorary members. Our society promotes the glorification and preservation of freedom, knowledge, and pleasure in all their reasonable forms."

"So you work for human rights?" Michael inquired.

"Yes, among other things. Most of our chapters are seekers and keepers of knowledge or social action entities. A significant number are also swingers' groups, with which I trust you are all familiar since your initiators include Heather and Cat. I was among Cat's initiators, also Cat Two's.

"The requirements to join the Friendship aren't very difficult. You have to be an adult with a love of freedom and honor, and get at least four current members to vouch for your wisdom and trust. These four become your initiators. There's also a short background check just to make sure there are no mistakes. Once you're in, there is no way out until death. Our only expectations are that you will aid and support all other members to the best of your ability and never betray our secrecy or our ideals."

"Your society has secret hand gestures," Shelly said, "and codenames. Yours is 'Frostfire'."

"That's one of my codenames. As a viceroy, or high-ranking member of the Friendship, I have several names and titles. Most people just call me Doug."

"So you want us to join this secret society of yours?" Shelly asked. "It doesn't sound like it has much reason to be secret."

"Trust me, it does. We take freedom to an extreme ideal. It's made us a few enemies. Look, there are a lot of things about us I don't really have time to go over right now. Cat, Heather, and the others can answer your questions. I just need to know, do you accept my offer? Don't worry if you don't want to say yes, we'll figure something out."

"What the heck," Shelly said with a shrug. "I'm in."

"Me too," Michael agreed. "You sent those guys who helped us, right? The horsemen we followed through the alleys, and that drunk who stood on the bridge."

"They were in Tianmen Square and saw you," Doug replied. "They acted on their own initiative, with my full support. If you don't already know, they were dressed as heroes of the Three Kingdoms era. Stories of that time have been popular in China for centuries. They're the Chinese equivalent of the Western tales of King Arthur, Hercules, Caesar, and similar folk. A few of our members in China are directly descended from heroes of the Three Kingdoms, and they seek to emulate their ancestors by adopting their mannerisms and names."

"We were helped by the heroes Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Guan Yu," said Cat.

"Yes. They were in Tianmen Square during your run, selling souvenirs and horse rides, in costume as you saw. We had several other people in the area besides them. I think you met the one in charge of security for the square, PLA Colonel Sima Yi."

"Whoa," Michael said. "You mean that guy who was chasing us?"

"Yes. He's part of the Friendship, and you better be glad. If not for that, I don't think he would have let you get away from him." Doug laughed. "He's very upset that you didn't warn us sooner about your stunt."

"Tell him I'll send him a dress as repayment," Cat said. "The historical Sima Yi was a notorious transvestite," she explained.

"In that case, I'm also sending a dress," said Heather.

"And me," chimed in Sanya.

Doug laughed harder. "This Sima Yi is also a transvestite. He'll love such gifts. By the way, don't worry about being forgiven for what you did. Your run has already become a worldwide legend among the Friendship. I think the Chinese people liked it too. The government of China isn't a big fan of ours, but the people love our ideals. In my opinion, everyone who goes to jail for you tonight should be proud to be part of what you did. Our people, including Colonel Sima, will work to get them out as hard as they can."

"Be sure they know we said thank you," said Heather. "Also, now that Michael and Shelly are members, no one outside the Friendship knows who we were under the masks."

"Good. Let's keep it that way. As long as you aren't picked up tonight, I think we've got you covered with the local authorities and the media. I also called in a marker with the IOC. They know you're all outside the Village right now, but they've been given an alibi for you. If anyone asks, you left the closing ceremonies and went straight to a church service with Jennie at the Beijing Immaculate Conception Cathedral. The headman there, Monsignor Haas, was one of my initiators. He'll vouch to having seen all of you in his church during the time you were running. I just have to call him back and give him your names. If all goes well, the true identities of the Beijing Streakers will never be known."

"Thanks, Doug," Cat said with a smile. "So do we stay out all night?"

"That would probably be best," Doug answered. "The PLA have a lot of street patrols out hunting for you. They're watching the subways and probably covering the Olympic Village too. You need to lay low. Fortunately, I have another friend who can help you. Jennie, follow these directions."

Jennie listened as Doug described how to find the local chapter's headquarters. "Okay," she said when he was done. "Thank you."

"No problem. Y'all stay safe, okay?"

"We will," Cat said. She terminated the call. "So, are you guys up for an exclusive interview with NBC?"

"Sure," Michael said, "as long as we don't have to talk about our streaking."

"I don't think that will be a topic," Jennie assured him. She adjusted her windshield wipers as they drove on through Beijing's winding streets.

***

It took another hour's drive to reach their destination. Jennie had stopped twice, first to let them all use a set of public toilets, and then to buy drinks at a convenience store. The group's spirits were still running high, and none had changed out of their stolen clothes. Listening to the van's radio, they had learned that the riots their run had caused were over now. The PLA had made seventy-nine arrests before suspending the state of martial law. Several people were injured during the riots, but no one had been reported killed.

Various celebrities, athletes, politicians, and others had learned of their streaking and its aftermath and made comments to the media. Some condemned the events, but most agreed that the athletes who did the stunt were very brave and said they hoped their message would be heard and honored by the world. An IOC spokesman said that as they could not determine the athletes' identities, the IOC would not be denying them any medals because of their political statements. The spokesman also added that while the IOC could not officially endorse the stunt, they would not sanction any athlete who did.

Jennie had called Doug to ask how he had managed this. The Friendship viceroy had replied that his local equivalent had quietly informed the Chinese government that their society had evidence of several rules violations made by China and her allies during the Beijing Games. They were prepared to release that evidence to the media. If the Chinese wanted to avoid losing face by earning IOC sanctions for the Olympics they'd hosted, it was implied, they would have to let the Tianmen Square streaking slide. In addition, if the IOC did not want it revealed to the media that several of their officials had taken bribes to ignore China's rule violations then they too would have to let the event pass and not sanction any athlete who gave it praise.

"No medals are at risk," Doug added. "The Chinese didn't win in any event where they cheated, nor did their allies. Still, though, the shame that they did and that we know is driving them bananas. I think that as long as you don't go revealing yourselves to the world, you're safe. Who knows, they might even listen to those suggestions you made during your run."

The news made no mention of how the athletes had escaped or of their helpers Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Guan Yu. Cat hoped that all three had gotten away clean.

Now the rain had ended, and they were pulling up to a large red cabin cruiser docked on Beijing's Hai River near the giant stone expanse of the Eight Mile Bridge. On its bow the name "Tiger of Jiang Dong" was painted in English and Chinese. NBC reporter Sun Ren was standing at the helm to welcome them. Her production crew was milling around, all smiling at the athletes as they stepped aboard. Soon the two groups were exchanging names and shaking hands.