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Aug. 8th, 2006 09:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geeky_agentChris stared at the sign with a sense of wry amusement, it was strange seeing the logo for KFC written in Arabic. When she served in Afghanistan, she stayed away from the fast food restaraunts (which was really just McDonald's) deciding she could get bad food for free from the mess tent.
Xinjiang's population was almost evenly split between the Han Chinese and the Uyghur and it showed in the street signs and store signs. Names were written in Chinese, Arabic and, like the logo for KFC, sometimes English. Even though Chloe had told her about the demographics and it had been mentioned several times in her intelligence briefings, the even split in the two cultures was interesting to see. Two languages, two religions. While travelling near the Kazakhastan border she'd seen the illegal blue and white flag of the Uyghuristan movement hanging outside someone's house. Sure enough, when they passed that house on the way back, she didn't see that flag again.
The most recent reports estimated that there were over a hundred secret prisons operating in China and those were the conservative guesses. These prisons were home to dissidents, like the Uyghur and spread all over the country in some of the most unlikely place like converted warehouses and farms. Palmer's information had directed them to the Xinjiang region and now they were trying to narrow down their options.
That flicker of hope she felt when they arrived, seemed to dim as she looked through the papers. Jack could literally be anywhere.
"No. It's a suicide mission." Tony's gaze was even, like his voice. Hands on his hips, he tilted his head, like he was waiting for Chris to come to her senses.
He would have to wait.
"It's been five weeks. How long will it take us to get reinforcements? They might move him by then." He might be dead by then.
"Two days? Three?" His expression softened. "Look, Chris, we know where he is now. Chloe has satellite coverage of the area. If they move him, we'll know."
Chris shook her head but remained silent, instead looking at the black expanse of mountain across from her. Even at night, she could almost spot the entrance to the abandoned A'ertai Gold Mine. Their search had ended here, all their intelligence pointing towards this as Jack's prison.
"Fine," Chris said, turning to look at him again. "One of us goes to get help and the other stays here. I'll stay."
Tony shook his head. "Uh-uh."
"I'm not leaving." She couldn't.
"We already have Chloe monitoring the area on sa--"
"There's a ten minute lag," she hissed. "Ten minutes and he could be gone. We need someone to stay here and I'm not leaving."
She heard Tony sigh and before he had a chance to say more, she turned around, grabbing a bag of their equipment to place in the rickety guard post they used for storage. They'd spent three nights monitoring the prison, sometimes using the guard post as shelter from the wind and snow. When she pulled the door, she paused for a moment, just taking in the site of Milliways. The sheer luck of it was almost enough to make her want to cry.
In a stage whisper she called to Tony and he came running. "What the hell?"
"It's the bar," she explained, though it was unnecessary now.
"Go. I'll try to keep it open."
"All right." Chris handed him the equipment and stepped through...
Xinjiang's population was almost evenly split between the Han Chinese and the Uyghur and it showed in the street signs and store signs. Names were written in Chinese, Arabic and, like the logo for KFC, sometimes English. Even though Chloe had told her about the demographics and it had been mentioned several times in her intelligence briefings, the even split in the two cultures was interesting to see. Two languages, two religions. While travelling near the Kazakhastan border she'd seen the illegal blue and white flag of the Uyghuristan movement hanging outside someone's house. Sure enough, when they passed that house on the way back, she didn't see that flag again.
The most recent reports estimated that there were over a hundred secret prisons operating in China and those were the conservative guesses. These prisons were home to dissidents, like the Uyghur and spread all over the country in some of the most unlikely place like converted warehouses and farms. Palmer's information had directed them to the Xinjiang region and now they were trying to narrow down their options.
That flicker of hope she felt when they arrived, seemed to dim as she looked through the papers. Jack could literally be anywhere.
"No. It's a suicide mission." Tony's gaze was even, like his voice. Hands on his hips, he tilted his head, like he was waiting for Chris to come to her senses.
He would have to wait.
"It's been five weeks. How long will it take us to get reinforcements? They might move him by then." He might be dead by then.
"Two days? Three?" His expression softened. "Look, Chris, we know where he is now. Chloe has satellite coverage of the area. If they move him, we'll know."
Chris shook her head but remained silent, instead looking at the black expanse of mountain across from her. Even at night, she could almost spot the entrance to the abandoned A'ertai Gold Mine. Their search had ended here, all their intelligence pointing towards this as Jack's prison.
"Fine," Chris said, turning to look at him again. "One of us goes to get help and the other stays here. I'll stay."
Tony shook his head. "Uh-uh."
"I'm not leaving." She couldn't.
"We already have Chloe monitoring the area on sa--"
"There's a ten minute lag," she hissed. "Ten minutes and he could be gone. We need someone to stay here and I'm not leaving."
She heard Tony sigh and before he had a chance to say more, she turned around, grabbing a bag of their equipment to place in the rickety guard post they used for storage. They'd spent three nights monitoring the prison, sometimes using the guard post as shelter from the wind and snow. When she pulled the door, she paused for a moment, just taking in the site of Milliways. The sheer luck of it was almost enough to make her want to cry.
In a stage whisper she called to Tony and he came running. "What the hell?"
"It's the bar," she explained, though it was unnecessary now.
"Go. I'll try to keep it open."
"All right." Chris handed him the equipment and stepped through...
