Mahoganys Dream | Page 4

dot matrix computer printout that was so long
the pages spilled over the edge of his desk onto the floor. He was so
engrossed in his printout that he hadn't noticed the two men approach.
Dunleavy startled Tsang and Brian when he claimed to be an INS agent
who needed to speak with Tsang in private right away. He even
produced an official-looking INS ID with the same photo as the FBI ID
that he had just shown Brian.
Tsang, while surprised, had not found the visit unbelievable. After all,
he had been in the States for more than seventeen years under his
original student visa. This had not been a deliberate plan; the State
Department had indefinitely extended his visa under a special
exemption for military researchers. Consequently, he had never
bothered to apply for U.S. citizenship.
What he did find odd was the fact that the INS man was accompanied

by Hassett, the young station officer whom he recognized from the
Data Room.
The two agents escorted Tsang out of the lab. Nearly everyone they
passed stopped what they were doing to stare. Some of them exchanged
whispers. The scene reminded Tsang of the perp walks he had seen on
American television many times.
They took him to a small, windowless room in a remote part of the
Base. The long walk to that isolated room was Tsang's first indication
that the men wanted to do more than chat. Within moments of sitting
down, he found out that they were not interested in the status of his visa.
The redheaded man admitted that he was not really an INS official. He
told Tsang that he was actually an FBI agent. He provided no further
proof or explanation before beginning his interrogation.
Tsang and Dunleavy sat across from each other on opposite sides of a
twelve-foot folding table. There were only two chairs in the room, so
Hassett stood by the door. The room was uncomfortably cool.
Dunleavy reached down into a top-loading metal case next to his chair
and pulled out a legal pad and a pen. He put the pen on top of the legal
pad and slid them across the table. He said, "I want you to write down
the real names and codenames of every one of your contacts in the
MSS."
Tsang looked at the stranger in bewilderment. Then he looked up at
Hassett, who was working hard not to appear confused. It wasn't
working.
When Tsang asked, "What is MSS?" Dunleavy glowered at him.
Then he smoothly rose from his seat, walked around the table, and
smacked Tsang in the face so forcefully that the small man did a partial
back flip. Tsang's chair hit the concrete floor with a loud crash,
followed by the thud of his body falling on top of it. As soon as he
landed on the chair, Dunleavy kicked him in the abdomen, thrusting the
air from his lungs. He coughed and gagged while Dunleavy loomed

over him.
That was the least painful thing that would happen to Tsang over the
next two days.
When Dunleavy attacked Tsang, Brian sprung to attention. "What the
hell are you doing?"
Instead of answering, Dunleavy lifted Tsang off the floor by the collar
of his lab coat. He sat the folding chair upright again and then
brusquely dropped Tsang into it. Tsang immediately curled over,
whimpering like a child. Dunleavy retook his seat and calmly said,
"Now, Dr. Tsang, I'm going to repeat my last request. After that, I'm
going to ask you other questions. Lots of questions. I would advise you
to listen carefully because I don't speak Chinese and this is the only
time I will repeat myself. Each time you lie to me or give me an
unsatisfactory answer, I will make you regret the day you were born.
When I ask a question or state a request, you will have two seconds to
respond: One second to retrieve the answer from your gook brain and
another second to begin speaking. That is your grace period. If you
don't begin speaking by the end of your grace period, I will hurt you.
And then I will make you regret the day you were born. All of my
queries will be precise. Therefore, you are not permitted to ask
questions, not even for clarity. The only time you will speak is in
response to a question or request from me." Dunleavy stretched his
arms wide. "Look at these four walls. Inside this room, you have no
rights. No civil rights, no human rights, no fucking rights at all. This is
not Guantanamo Bay. Inside this room, the Geneva Convention does
not exist. I will not kill you. But that's not good news so don't be
relieved. Each time you lie to