The fortress of the Tien Tao Rioters was an enduring pillar of Southern culture and history, its roots reaching back further than the birth of Dongism itself. Its original construction sought to create an unofficial second capital of Kowloon, rivalling the mighty palace of the Kingmakers in district Yu. A symbol of defiance against the northerners, who looked, spoke and thought differently.
With Dong's rise to prophethood six centuries ago, the fortress' focus shifted from being a bastion of war to a spiritual stronghold. Where artillery once stood ready, the courtyard had become a temple to the Light, opening its gates for the weekly congregational prayers. Prayers in Gouyue etched its once plain walls. For the Tien Tao, defending Ho Man Ting from warring invaders and protecting the Southern Dongist faith from the influence of foreign secularism became a single, unyielding battle.
Tao knew that no matter how close any Kingmaker got to the Rioters, one truth remained: this fortress had been built to stand against people like him and Yutai. This place would always be a rival to their tower and authority, a divide that grows larger with time.
The two Kingmakers followed behind Hung, a senior Rioter in the Tien Tao ranks and an old acquaintance of Yutai's. But since their conversation about Anju's spear, Hung's enthusiasm for the tour appeared to have dwindled. His once-frequent historical titbits about the fort became more monosyllabic, he was curt and moved on quickly after showing them further places.
As they ventured deeper into the fort and towards the dorms, Tao's sense of unease grew. Doors quietly shut as they walked past, eyes averted, yet gazes lingering on their backs. We're being watched more and more. I can feel it. I swear I've seen the same faces walk past more than once now. Tao tried to push his unsettling thoughts aside and reminded himself no one in Kowloon, not even the fearsome Tien Tao Rioters, would dare harm them.
The trio came upon a fork in the hallways. Without hesitation, Hung led the Kingmakers to the right.
'What's down the other way?' Yutai asked casually.
'The detention level,' Hung said as he picked up the pace. 'Those we can't keep with the general population prisoners come here.'
Yutai's eyes flicked briefly to Tao, who immediately caught the signal. He wants to see if they're holding any Yang prisoners. Clever, Yutai. Tao gave a subtle nod of approval to him.
'Could we perhaps take a look?' Yutai asked.
Hung seemed to speed up even more, but Yutai and Tao stopped in their tracks, waiting for an answer.
Sensing their halt, Hung stood still. 'No. The prisons are off-limits. We house individuals who pose unique threats to Ho Man Ting. War criminals, political terrorists, cult leaders, undocumented migrants from the Wildlands. You won't find any petty criminals. Even low-ranking Rioters aren't allowed down there.'
'But we're not low-ranking Rioters,' Tao pressed. 'Between us Kingmakers and you Rioters, there aren't any secrets to keep. We're leading the fight against Kowloon's most dangerous threats. One glance won't hurt, will it?'
Hung's posture stiffened. 'If it's the Yang you're wondering about, you'll find none here. They're sent to the local maximum-security detention centre. Regardless, our policies are strict. I ask that you respect them.'
Yutai frowned. 'But you just said this place holds political prisoners and terrorists. What do you call the Yang?'
Hung swung his head towards Yutai. 'Of course they're terrorists. But if we held every Yang we captured in the fort dungeons, we'd run out of cells. So, we keep them with the general population.'
Tao's eyes narrowed. Something doesn't add up. 'Run out of cells? Just how many Yangs have you guys managed to arrest? Since Operation Searchlight, we've hardly caught any. Seems like you guys have something figured that we haven't.'
Hung's reply was quick, almost too quick. 'Ho Man Ting is the South's capital. Thousands of Southerners cross our borders for work every day, so it's only natural Yang activity is more frequent.'
Tao studied Hung's face, weighing the lie between his words. A little too rehearsed.
Sensing the conversation had hit a wall, Tao let out an exhale. 'Well, seeing as we haven't heard of any of these arrests, you'd best start reporting your numbers to the Tower. It'd be good to interrogate a few of these Yangs.'
Hung nodded and resumed walking towards the dorms, his pace unnaturally quick. Yutai brushed against Tao's arm, the nudge barely noticeable but loaded with meaning.
Yes, Yutai, Tao thought. That sounded odd to me, too.
The three walked past different branching corridors and none looked different from the last. That was until one of the corridors looked to have walls painted in vivid shades of blue.
'Hey, Hung?' Yutai called out. The Rioter appeared not to hear him - or at least pretended not to - until Yutai called out a second time, with less patience in his voice.
'Hung. I'm calling you.'
The Rioter stopped and turned around. 'Did you have a question to ask?'
'I saw a corridor just now with blue walls. What's down that way?'
'Our communication centre. All intelligence we gather around Ho Man Ting comes through here.'
Tao caught a further look from Yutai, who flashed his gaze downwards. His thumb and pointer on his right hand were pressed tip to tip in a known Kingmaker symbol: Objective has been located.
****
As soon as Cheng saw unit numbers on the doors to his left and right, he knew the Yang base wasn't far. Scornful eyes had followed the Kingmakers since they got off the King Rail at the Yau Embassy, but Cheng adjusted to this sensation by now.
The two Rioters halted in front of a door marked "352." The rest of the group stood around it, waiting for instruction.
'Well? Is this it?' Jin groused.
'Yes, give us a moment to unlock it.' One of the Rioters walked towards the door.
'Hold on,' Han interrupted, blocking the Rioter's approach with a hand. 'I'm not comfortable heading into enemy territory blind. You mentioned booby traps. What kind are we dealing with exactly?'
'The Southern kind - collapsible floors, kinetic spikes, upturned sharpened rods designed to leave you with a lifelong limp.' The Rioter almost sounded proud of it. Cheng recalled from his academy days that these traps were notorious, used by Southern rebels during the Rebellions.
'Great,' Han snarked, still holding the armoured Rioter in place with his palm. 'So, what's our strategy for combing through these traps? Do we go first, your disposable lives?' He look into the Rioter's eyes behind the face shield. Rioters were tall, but Han's stature matched.
'Not at all,' the Rioter replied smoothly. 'We've got floor plans for this base. They're 30 annui-cycles out of date, but it's better than nothing. We'll lead the way, room by room, until the area is secure.'
Han shook his head. 'That sounds way too simple. I didn't think the famously conservative Mr Enji would risk sending a Rioter Cavalry Officer into the field for some back-shelf recon job.'
'Alright guys, let's cut the sceptic detective act,' Keung said, glancing at the Tai Li. 'We're wasting time.'
'Cheng,' Han pressed. 'Aren't you the least bit concerned? You've got the Emperor's nephew walking into a booby-trapped base, relying solely on the "trust me" of these Southerners.'
'Maybe we should send drones in first?' Keung suggested as he turned to face Cheng.
'I'm not trekking back to the Tower just for that, sir. Let's just get this over and done with,' he said to the Tai Li. 'If General Denzhen was okay with sending his son, I don't know what we've got to worry about.'
****
The tour continued as the three approached the dorms. Large windows lined the right-hand wall of the hallway, through which Tao glimpsed rows of four-tier bunks, nearly all occupied by sleeping Rioters. 'The dorm is just ahead,' Hung said, gesturing towards a closed door at the end of the hallway.
As Hung swiped his key to open the door, Yutai's holocommunicator rang. Both Hung and Tao turned to see him staring at its holographic display above his wrist, his brow furrowed.
Who's calling this late? Tao wondered.
'Huh … It's …' Yutai looked confused as he scratched his jaw. 'It's Emperor Puyin …'
Tao's eyes widened. 'The Emperor? Quickly, answer it, could be urgent!'
The Rioter froze, clearly realising the weight of a call from the Emperor of Kowloon.
'I'll need to take this, Hung,' Yutai said. 'Mind if I step into the hallway while you grab the key? Can't have listeners.'
Hung squinted at Yutai as he gave a slow nod. 'Just … don't wander far.'
Yutai nodded vigorously before swiping the call open and vanishing around the corridor's bend.
'Follow me, I'll grab the key and we'll wait for Yutai to return,' Hung instructed Tao.
They stepped through the door and into the dorms. Inside was dim but not pitch black, illuminated by dull blueish lamp lights bathing the dormitory in a dark blue glow. The soft hum of ceiling fans and the chorus of snores tugged at Tao's eyelids.
'There are a few more dorm rooms, but this is the largest one. My bunk is just a few rows down. The keys to the dojos should be in my drawer. Tread lightly,' he cautioned with a hush. 'And be careful not to bump into the beds. We sleep light.'
Tao followed Hung to one of the bunks. The top three tiers were full with sleeping Rioters, but the bottom one, where Hung presumably slept, was empty. Hung opened a side drawer to the right of the bed, picked up his key, and closed it. They crept their way out of the dorm rooms and waited outside near the door.
'How was the fort during the rebellions?' Tao asked.
'You guys should know. You guys threw everything you had into trying to take it. So, it must've been important.'
'We were close a few times, but the East joined the fight at a very opportune time. Kept us scrambling all over Kowloon,' Tao said. 'In hindsight, I'm relieved we couldn't capture it. This fort is so much more than a place for war. It's become a temple to the Light. We Central Kowlooni's are no spiritual caretakers like you Southerners. Have you seen Central Kowlooni daoyinbos? Central temples of Light pale in comparison to the grand structures you all build down South. We have no right to watch over this fort. Better off in Southern hands.'
For the first time during the tour, Hung's stern expression softened.
'During the height of the rebellions, this stronghold was a sanctuary for civilians. When glide-bombers loomed over Ho Man Ting, a single siren would wail from the fort that could be heard all the way to the district borders. The gates would gape open for as many citizens possible to seek refuge within our walls. Older Rioters have told me how back then, any space available would be completely used for the refugees. Even the toilet floors became places of rest. This fort kept so many alive, people have linked its spirit to Anju himself; protector of man.'
'I am glad the fort became a mighty shield for your people.'
'My people … unfortunately, I have no right to claim Southern heritage as my own. I'm a native of Sung Wong … just like Yutai. For all I know, my grandfather may have killed many Southerners during his draft. I was merely raised in this culture and have been accepted among them.'
'Yutai … Has he changed much since you two were kids?' Tao asked.
Hung's gaze was distant as if sifting through memories. 'Yutai? I remember him always being at the heart of any gathering, trying his best to make sure no one felt left out.'
'Then he's still the same. But he's blissfully naive about the world around him. He sees the South as just another region of Kowloon, no different from the West or the North. He doesn't understand the nuances of this post-war society we're now living in, where we all resent each other for complex reasons. But you know, despite his antics, there's a dangerously sharp mind in there, thirsting to do the right thing. Always thinking, always planning for a way forward.'
Hung met Tao's gaze. 'Oh, you don't have to remind me. The way you two are looking around the fort, it's like I've invited my enemies to study our stronghold for battle. But I guess that's just how the mind of a Kingmaker operates. Always in the pursuit of knowledge.'
Beneath the Tien Tao Rioter's restrained words, Tao sensed he was growing more and more suspicious about their presence here in the fort. Realising the precariousness of his position, isolated from his partner, Tao held his tongue.
****
I can't believe that worked, Yutai thought. Good job on playing along, Tao. His rubber-soled boots made almost no sound as he sprinted through the dimly lit halls, retracing his steps to the blue corridor earlier.
Voices grew louder from a corridor to his left. Without missing a beat, Yutai darted ahead, slipping around a corner before the approaching Rioters could see him. He pressed himself against the wall and held his breath until the voices faded.
His heart pounded in his chest as he navigated the maze of corridors. Every distant echo or murmur had him diving into the shadows, waiting for the threat to pass.
At last, the blue-painted hallway appeared before him. Yutai pressed his ear against the cold surface of the locked door, straining to hear any sign of life from the other side.
Nothing, he thought. Means I can plant the wire in peace.
This door wasn't guarding just any room; it was the very heart of the fort's communications. Behind it he would determine whether the Tien Tao Rioters were truly in league with the Yang, or if they were genuinely blindsided that fateful night in Ho Man Ting Square. Whatever answer was behind the door had the potential to change the course of their fight against the Yang.
Yutai knew this door would have nothing short of magnetic seals. These were the tightest form of security available.
But Yutai had an ace up his sleeve, a tool only bestowed upon a select few Kingmakers after the short-lived yet groundbreaking Kingmaker Cybernetic Initiative. With this, even the most formidable magnetic seal would be child's play.
Glancing at his right hand, Yutai vigorously rubbed the base of his palm with his left thumb. The pressure was meant to stimulate blood flow, activating the primitive cybernetic implant installed beneath his skin. Each press left a pale thumb print that quickly flushed with red as blood rushed back. The device was rudimentary, offering no indication of its activation. He could only trust in the process.
The sound of distant footsteps indicated an incoming patrol was about to cross the doors. This time, there was no corner or shadow to dive into. Urgency gripped him. He hovered the base of his palm over the door's midsection, yet he could not hear the locks click. He tried near the bottom. Nothing! Come on! Desperation mounting, he moved to the top. Nothing again.
Maybe the blood flow didn't activate it.
He pressed his thumb harder into his palm, willing the implant to respond. He felt the bones in his palm shift at the pressure.
The footsteps grew closer, their rhythm quickening Yutai's heartbeat. Rubbing it hard and fast, he swept his hand across all three points once more.
Click. Click … Click.
The door whispered open, revealing a dark void. Without hesitation, Yutai slipped inside, his fingers instinctively finding a button on the adjacent wall to seal the door behind him.
Every sense heightened, Yutai held his breath and pressed himself against the cold wall. The muffled footsteps he'd been dreading passed his door, growing fainter until they were swallowed by the distance. He let out a huge breath.
Activating his cap's visor light, a soft cool-white glow illuminated the vast, chilled room. The hum of the air-conditioning was the only sound. All he could do now was trust Tao to keep Hung distracted long enough for him to complete his mission.