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So； he hadn't just gotten his rocks off； Nomuri told himself； past the delightful memories of a passionate evening。 He'd crossed a wide red line in the street； and his safety depended entirely upon on how discreet Ming was。 He hadn't … could not have … warned her to keep her mouth shut about their time together。 Such things weren't said； because they added a level of gravity to what was supposed to have been a time of joy and friendship。。。 or even something potentially bigger than friendship。 Women thought in such terms； Chester reminded himself； and for that reason he might see a pointed nose and whiskers the next time he looked in the mirror； but this was business； not personal； he told himself as he shut down his puter。
Except for one small thing。 He'd had sexual relations with an intelligent and not entirely unattractive young female human being； and the problem was that when you gave a little bit of your heart away； you never really got it back。 And his heart； Nomuri belatedly realized； was distantly connected to his dick。 He wasn't James Bond。 He could not embrace a woman as a paid whore embraced a man。 It just wasn't in him to be that sort of heartless swine。 The good news was that for this reason he could stand to look in a mirror for the time being。 The bad news was that this ability might be short…lived； if he treated Ming as a thing and not a person。
Nomuri needed advice on how to feel about this operation； and he didn't have a place to get it。 It wasn't the sort of thing to e…mail to Mary Pat or to one of the pshrinks the Agency employed for counseling DO people who needed a little guidance with their work。 This sort of thing had to be handled face…to…face with a real person； whose body language you could read and whose tone of voice would deliver its own content。 No； email wasn't the medium he needed right now。 He needed to fly to Tokyo and meet a senior officer of the Directorate of Operations who could counsel him on how to handle things。 But if the guy told him to cut himself off from intimate contact with Ming； then what would he do？ Nomuri asked himself。 It wasn't as though he had a girlfriend of any kind； and he had his needs for intimacy； too … and besides； if he cut her off； what effect would that have on his potential； prospective agent？ You didn't check your humanity by the door when you joined up with the Agency； despite what all the books said and the public expectations were。 All the chuckles over beer during the nights after training sessions seemed a distant thing now； and all the expectations he and his colleagues had had back then。 They'd been so far off the mark； in spite of what their training officers had told them。 He'd been a child then； and to some extent even in Japan； but suddenly he was a man； alone in a country that was at best suspicious； and at worst hostile to him and his country。 Well； it was in her hands now； and that was something he couldn't change。
Her co…workers noted a slight difference in their colleague。 She smiled a little more； and in a somewhat different way。 Something good must have happened to her； some of them thought； and for this they rejoiced； albeit in a reserved and private way。 If Ming wished to share the experience with them； all well and good； and if not； that； too； was okay with them； because some things were private； even among a group of women who shared virtually everything； including stories of their minister and his fumbling； lengthy； and occasionally futile efforts at lovemaking。 He was a wise man； and usually a gentle one； though as a boss he had his bad points。 But Ming would notice none of those today。 Her smile was sweeter than ever； and her eyes twinkled like little diamonds； the rest of the admin/secretarial staff all thought。 They'd all seen it before； though not with Ming； whose love life had been an abbreviated one； and whom the minister liked a little too much； but whom he serviced imperfectly and too seldom。 She sat at her puter to do her correspondence and translations of Western news articles that might be of interest to the Minister。 Ming had the best English skills of anyone in this corner of the building； and the new puter system worked superbly。 The next step； so the story went； was a puter into which you'd just speak； making the characters appear by voice mand； sure to bee the curse of every executive secretary in the world； because it would largely make them obsolete。 Or maybe not。 The boss couldn't fuck a puter； could he？ Not that Minister Fang was all that intrusive in his demands。 And the perks he delivered in return weren't bad at all。
Her first morning assignment took the customary ninety minutes； after which she printed up the resulting copy and stapled the pages together by article。 This morning she'd translated pieces by the Times of London； and The New York Times； plus The Washington Post； so that her Minister would know what the barbarians around the world thought of the enlightened policy of the People's Republic。
In his private office； Minister Fang was going over other things。 The MSS had a double report on the Russians： both oil and gold； the reports said。 So； he thought； Zhang had been right all along； even more right than he knew。 Eastern Siberia was indeed a treasure…house； full of things everyone needed。 Oil； because petroleum was the very blood of modern society； and gold； because in addition to its negotiable value as an old but still very real medium of exchange； it still had industrial and scientific uses as well。 And each had a cache of its own。 What a pity that such riches should fall to a people without the wit to make proper use of them。 It was so strange； the Russians who had given the world the gift of Marxism but then failed to exploit it properly； and then abandoned it； only to fail also in their transition to a bourgeois capitalist society。 Fang lit a cigarette； his fifth of the day （he was trying to cut back as his seventieth birthday approached）； and set the MSS report down on his desk before leaning back in his chair to puff on his unfiltered smoke and consider the information this morning had brought。 Siberia； as Zhang had been saying for some years now； had so much that the PRC needed； timber； minerals in abundance … even greater abundance； so these intelligence documents said … and space； which China needed above all things。
There were simply too many people in China； and that despite population…control measures that could only be called draconian both in their content； and in their ruthless application。 Those measures were an affront to Chinese culture； which had always viewed children as a blessing； and now the social engineering was having an unexpected result。 Allowed only one child per married couple； the people often chose to have boys instead of girls。 It was not unknown for a peasant to take a female toddler of two years and drop her down a well … the merciful ones broke their necks first … to dispose of the embarrassing encumbrance。 Fang understood the reasons for this。 A girl child grew up to marry； to join her life to a man； while a boy child could always be depended upon to support and honor his parents； and provide security。 But a girl child would merely s