"With a wisp of a beard?"
"Yes," said Remo.
"Yes, I see him," said Anna.
"That's Chiun. Don't talk dirty in front of him. He doesn't like it."
"Killing is noble, sex is wrong?"
"You got it," said Remo.
"Who is she? How can I bring you to the Great Wang when you have a disgrace of a white girl with you?" Chiun asked.
"I'm white," said Remo.
"Great Wang doesn't have to know that. He could think a grandparent was Korean."
"He knows. He knows I'm white. He liked the idea."
"Liar," said Chiun.
"Who's the Great Wang?" asked Anna.
"Who is this slut with the mouth of a sailor?" asked Chiun.
"Great Wang is the one who answered the question without waiting for the question," said Remo.
"Is he from Sinanju?" asked Anna.
"The most," said Remo.
"Answer her before me. Has that wanton so crazed your mind with lust that you do not answer me before her?"
"Her name is Anna Chutesov. She is here to help."
"Have you had relations?" asked Chiun.
"I don't think so," said Anna. "Tell me about this Great Wang you so admire. Is he the one who gives you orders now?"
"The Great Wang does not have to give orders. A Master of Sinanju follows his wishes before the orders are given. "
Anna saw the strange floating movement of Chiun and it reminded her of something. That was how Remo moved through the jungles.
"Does the Great Wang move like you and Remo?" asked Anna, and suddenly Chiun was no longer speaking English but conversing in Korean.
Remo answered in the same language. "What is he saying?" asked Anna.
"He's saying why did you ask that question in particular?"
"So he knows something is wrong. He is aware of that."
"Little father," said Remo. "How much is wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong," said Chiun. "Everything is better than it has ever been. Even Emperor Smith thinks so." That name, too, sounded familiar to Anna Chutesov. But she was about to see something coming down the road that would tell her the problem was no longer in Sornica, but in Russia itself. And she had to get Remo out of here, otherwise there might not be much of a world to save, even for a Master of Sinanju.
Chapter 14
Anna saw it coming down the road.
"Oh, no," said Anna. "Those idiots."
Large trucks trundled slowly along the dirt and pitted Sornica's Route 1. On their beds were fat tubes like giant sewer pipes. In the front were cones. In back were afterburners. On the side were big red stars with Russian lettering, and even American television couldn't miss it.
They were medium-range Russian nuclear missiles, far more accurate this close to America. Far more deadly. And there was absolutely no military reason for it.
The advantage was negligible because with the number of nuclear warheads in stock, no one needed accuracy. Did they think someone would fire three nuclear missiles, wipe out three cities, and then sit down to talk?
But worse, far worse, the Americans would make a great display of this. The Russian generals would be humiliated by such a great loss; after all, this was not just a client state that had fallen, but Russian soldiers. Then, just like after the Cuban missile crisis, they would launch a new round of face-saving experiments. The last one had bankrupted the weak Russian economy, and the next might well mean war. There was no more money for a new generation of weapons. That was why Russia was pushing so hard lately for a freeze. Which was also why America was pushing for new weapons.
Of course there was no advantage. But men thought so.
In this case there was less advantage than in urinating up a wall to see who could go higher. That was a useless boys' contest. This one was suicide.
"She's a Russian agent of sorts," said Remo. "Looks like we got your missiles."
"You have. They have. We have," said Anna, throwing up her hands. "Men. What are you going to do with them? They have no more purpose in your hands than they did in ours. Where is Rabinowitz?"
"Your heart wishes him no good. You may not come near," said Chiun.
And to Remo, in Korean he said:
"Rabinowitz is a friend of the Great Wang. If this slut gets close to Rabinowitz, kill her."
"Sure, sure, little father. Will do."
"You didn't say it like you meant it."
"Tell me more about Wang. Could you point him out to me?"
"Haven't you seen him yourself?"
"I did. He gave me the answer."
"So you know now," said Chiun, his eyes sparkling, his face crinkling into a smile.
"Yeah. I know the answer is yes."