"Neil...I've started to read the section about the Fengs and...well, their story is even more perplexing than the Landgraabs" mused Suzy as she lay on their bed, thinking about the things she had recently read about Victor and Lilly Feng.
"How so?" Neil asked.
"The Landgraab story was one of a dynastical heritage, how they came to be prominent in Sim City and all that. Yes, there were strange stories about Gregory Landgraab and where he got that wealth from..."
"And the dirigible scare, don't forget that!" said Neil. That was the part of the story that he wondered about the most.
"Oh yes...that. But apart from that the rest of their history is about Dirk stealing a ship filled with treasure, starting the company, marrying into a good family, cheating Hugh Sim out of his fortune and arranging his death under suspicious circumstances..."
"Just a regular family, pillars of the community" said Neil, sarcastically.
"But wait till you get a load of the Fengs!" said Suzy, her eyes wide in a mixture of excitement and confusion.
"More crime? More scandal?" asked Neil.
"Not exactly..." said Suzy, cryptically. She sprung into action, stopped lounging on the bed lost in thought and grabbed the tome by Patrick Cornelius about the Hidden Secrets of Sim City.
"I'll read the chapter and you see what you make of it. I could do with some feedback here..." she said.
Suzy began to read out loud from the book. "Victor Feng's ancestors arrived in Sim City in the early 1900s, not much is known about them except they fled China after the Boxer Rebellion. Lilly's family had recently arrived from Macau just after World War 1. Both Victor and Lilly were born in Sim City within a month of each other in 1921."
"So far, so straightforward..." said Neil.
"That's just the preamble, the really interesting stuff comes next!" she replied with more enthusiasm in her voice.
"San Myshuno, 1937..." and as she continued reading, her voice sounded more dramatic.
Victor and Lilly had known each other practically since birth. Their parents had fled China to start new lives...For Victor's parents it was a matter of survival: They had supported the Boxers in the rebellion and wound up on the losing side. For Lilly's they left the rigidly stratified Portuguese colony of Macau in search of new opportunities in America. The children grew up within a block of each other and never knew a time when they didn't know one another...
"Awww, sweet"
"Shut up, Neil, I'm trying to tell the story here!"
"Sorry. Carry on"
The two were playmates and then, as they entered their teenage years, they developed a crush on one another which turned into a bond that went beyond mere sexual attraction. It was founded on something way, way deeper.
It was foretold in the I-Ching that Victor and Lilly's destinies would be entwined forever. If he had some misgivings about ancient superstition, Lilly had not. Her life was ruled by the I-Ching and her Taoist beliefs. It was indeed fortunate that their love for one another was in harmony with the I-Ching's prediction but it might also be argued that their attraction was influenced by what the divination said. I feel it is my duty as a scholar to add my own opinion on the matter here. I am a man of reason and intellect but I offer no verdict on whether such superstitions and religious beliefs are real or otherwise, merely to point out that this is what Lilly and Victor believed and that it had a profound effect on their lives then and now.
"Love at first sight...do you believe in that?" Interjected Neil.
"There was this one guy...Tommy Daly, I had such a crush on him the moment I laid eyes on him" Suzy replied.
"Really? When was that?" asked Neil, who was taken aback by Suzy's confession.
"When I was 7. But since then the magic hasn't happened." she said.
"Not even when we first met?"
"You were hard work! I admit, there was instant attraction but you were so, so shy back then! I've had pickle jars that were easier to open up than you."
"I'm a sensitive artist! And...well...I used to be paralysed with fear when pretty girls were around. And you are the prettiest girl I've ever met so I was terrified to talk to you!"
"So less love at first sight with us and more like interest at first sight"
"Anyway, continue with the story..." said Neil, looking at the book next to Suzy.
Although Victor and Lilly were convinced they were destined for one another their parents were not similarly convinced. The Fengs had to abandon their wealth when they fled so they were dirt poor when they arrived in America. Victor's father had earned enough money to open a Chinese laundry in San Myshuno, the kind of work Westerners expected from Chinese immigrants, but money was still tight. Lilly's family were more affluent and her parents had a hand crafted jewellery and ornament shop that did respectable trade. However, Victor believed he was going to be a man of great destiny and was determined to rise above the slums of the Spice Quarter to become someone important.
"Neil, will you stop interrupting me?" said Suzy in exasperation.
"Sorry"
Lilly, in turn, vowed to do her bit in helping Victor achieve greatness and even had plans to become a great woman herself. The first step, however, was how to escape the slum?
He worked hard, very hard, to make some money but it was seldom enough for a young man destined for greatness. Lilly devoted herself to becoming a charming and erudite young lady who could get others to do her bidding for her. She would harness fate itself to get what she wanted.
It took a year to sort out the bureaucratic mistake and release of Lilly's family by which time Victor was shipping out to North Africa and then Italy. He had been assigned to the 442nd Infantry Regiment, a unit comprised of 2nd generation Japanese-Americans although some Chinese and Hawaiians were drafted into it as well. Victor fought right throughout the Italian Campaign and won a Bronze Star during the battle of Monte Cassino.
But all the time while Victor was in the thick of action, he did not fear death nor did he believe he would be killed. The I-Ching and his own sense of self convinced him he would survive the war and go on to do even greater things.
The war for him had ended after the defeat of Germany in 1945. He had accrued enough points to be sent home so by the end of that year he returned to Sim City, a hero to his own community.
...and to be reunited with his love.
She was more beautiful than ever and hadn't wasted her time while he was away. She had done her bit raising money for the war effort and had cultivated a network of useful business contacts in San Myshuno. She was gifted in the ways of persuasion and had even promoted her father's business amongst the more affluent white members of Sim City society.
Now they were reunited, it was time to put their plans into operation. With Victor now a decorated war hero Lilly's parents could no longer object to him being a suitable match for her. Besides, he was now eligible for the G.I. Bill so he could go to college.
Victor attended Britechester University where he majored in geology. He was a hard working student and gained praise from his tutors and professors for his dedication and positive attitude to not only learning, but being the best.
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"What was Lilly doing whilst Victor was studying?" asked Neil at this point.
"She was learning the family business and becoming more entrusted with aspects of it. Her father and brother would make the ornaments and jewellery and she was very good at selling it to high class people." Suzy replied.
"OK, well so far this all sounds like the great American immigrant success story...'give me your tired and poor'. Compared to some of the stuff the Landgraabs got up to, the Fengs seem like paragons."
"Neil, we haven't even reached the truly crazy part...just hold on to your hat!" said Suzy, enthusiastically.
It was in June of 1947 that Victor's life would change dramatically again. For some time he had been curious about discovering the source of the late Gregory Landgraab's fortune. There were rumours that he had stumbled upon a rich seam of gold, silver, diamonds or other precious stones. Others said that he had discovered long lost Conquistador or Native American treasure. If the source of Landgraab wealth was indeed natural and geological in nature then who knows what other treasures lurked in the hills of Oasis Springs? In that summer of 1947 he conducted some field research as part of his geology studies but also to see if he could also accrue some wealth.
The presence of a mineshaft would indicate that the precious metals or stone theory of the Landgraab fortune would be the correct one. However, before he could pry apart the heavy wooden boards blocking the entrance, he was interrupted...
Two men appeared as if from nowhere. They were dressed in black suits and wore black trilby hats...not out of place in a city street in the late 1940s but here, up in the desert hills? They seemed incongruous.
Alas, there are no records of what was said between the three of them.
There were a couple of witnesses who I managed to track down and interview a few years ago. They were hiking in the region with a third companion and saw this meeting, but only from a distance.
They could, however, ascertain a few things from that distance. The conversation seemed civil but at some point Feng shook his head and indicated he wasn't happy or satisfied by something one of the two men in black suits had said.
But then something happened that shocked the three hikers...they had noticed a rippling effect in the air emanating from one of the men in black's forehead which travelled straight at Victor and hit him in the eyes.
One of the witnesses said Victor reeled in pain but the other said Victor looked more uneasy and unsteady on his feet instead of being hurt. This phenomena remains completely unexplained although there have been studies performed in the Soviet Union about whether telepathic powers are real and can be developed in human brains. I remain neutral in such speculation.
Both witnesses agreed that Victor found it difficult to talk and let out a series of strangulated utterances that were unintelligible. They said the brainwaves from the two men in black lasted for about two minutes.
And then, suddenly, it stopped and Victor was able to recover his balance and senses. The three men quickly ran away before they could be spotted but one of them noticed that the expression on Victor's face was one of calmness and contentment.
After this encounter Victor's fortunes rapidly changed and for the better. His mineral discoveries on that expedition proved to be very valuable indeed and he was able to sell them, to the Landgraab Corporation for a considerable amount of money. He was now, essentially, set for life. He graduated with honours, stayed on to do a Masters in economics and went into business by buying out Lilly's parents and running it jointly with her. They became married, became doyens of Sim City society and eventually Victor entered into local politics by winning a seat on the City Council in 1958. As was foretold, he and Lilly's fortunes were entwined and they achieved greatness in this city.
"Whoa, that is some crazy weird stuff right there!" said Neil, flabbergasted by what he just heard. "So how did Cornelius find those witnesses?"
"That's an another fascinating part of this story...I'll read on..." said Suzy.
When I managed to track down these hikers they were still, to this day (as of 1963) frightened by what they had seen. One had even begun to doubt that what he saw actually happened but his friend assured him that it most certainly did and, in the end, he admitted that he was just trying to rationalise what he had seen by attributing it to a bad dream. I enquired about their third friend who was hiking with them but that brought forth more horror and dread from my witnesses.
"He was...absorbed...Mr Cornelius" said one of them.
"Absorbed?" I enquired.
"That's what they said...the men, the men in black. They found us, me, Walt and Hank. Tracked us down and made threats. There was something about them, their eyes, those beady, dark and piercing eyes, that was menacing. Anyway Hank said he wasn't scared of them and threatened to call the US Air Force because he'd heard they were looking for strange shit but the next day Hank had vanished and the men returned, saying he'd been absorbed. Never saw Hank again..."
"Absorbed...now where have I heard that term before?" mused Suzy but Neil didn't answer; he was lost in thought. Suzy reclined on the bed and put the book down. "Neil, what does this all mean? This is way weirder than the Landgraab chapter but if what Cornelius has written about the Fengs is true...well, what does it all mean?"
Neil thought for a moment then an idea hit him...
"The Dirigible People!" He said, suddenly.
"The dirigible people? What are you talking about?" asked an incredulous Suzy.
"Think back to the chapter about Gregory Landgraab. There was this dirigible panic back in the 1890s, mysterious airships appearing from nowhere using technology that hadn't been known to have been invented. Gregory goes up in a hot air balloon to find out what they are and then comes back telling everyone it's all OK and they have nothing to fear. And he does it again over 10 years later. The people he met with who flew the dirigibles...they sound similar to the men Feng met that day. Think about it: They arrive from nowhere, over that same stretch of ground near where Affluista Mansion sits today, they have a meeting with a man who's struggling in life and then, bam! He becomes wealthy, marries the most eligible woman in Sim City and it's all success from then on out. It's the same story."
"Could this mean that Patrick Cornelius is making this all up and rehashing his plots?" asked Suzy. "Have I been wasting my time all the while since I discovered those pages?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying, Suz...I'm saying the Dirigible People, or the Men in Black or whoever they are have a modus operandi. They have a patch of land in that region they jealously guard but somehow find a local who they deem worthy of bestowing their favour on and make them rich and powerful. The two parts of the Triangle of Power! First, the Landgraabs...a dynasty whose lineage is as old as the city's, who practically own it! Then the Fengs, a couple of immense determination and intellect who control the political life of this town! Yes, it all fits Suzy! Two of the prongs that control Sim City; Landgraab and Feng."
Neil was up on his feet pacing around the room by now, excited by his own train of thought.
"And the third we thought were the Goths!" said Suzy, following Neil's way of thinking. "And if it were the same dirigible people who had abducted Bella but somehow found that family not useful to them...then that makes sense as well! Mortimer probably rejected them, but saved his family's life by promising to remain silent...and maybe Alan Cuffe has encountered the third group as well because he sure as hell is saying nothing about the strangeness that befell him recently. Oh my gosh, Neil...this is seriously weird stuff and we haven't even had a puff on any bubbles!"
"So the third part of the Triangle of Power must be these dirigible people..." said Neil.
"The ones Cornelius describes as 'The Visitors'...yes, they're called that because they're not locals, they're outsiders from who knows where. They mysteriously appear..."
"From the skies...in advanced flying ships. Suzy, do you realise the implications of this?" said Neil with a look of seriousness and dread on his face. For her, the penny dropped as well.
"Oh no...you don't mean..." she uttered in horror.
"Flying saucers, men from space..." said Neil, disconsolately.
Suzy shut her eyes and let out a sigh. "Neil, I can't publish such an article. They'll think we're mad!"
"Or maybe Patrick Cornelius has made up a clever work of fiction and used real people in it. We can go with that and keep our sanity. No wonder Aadvik went mad and killed himself."
Suzy shook her head. "Neil...we can't ignore what we've learned. A mysterious wooded glade that exists outside of our own geography, the fortune of Gregory Landgraab, the rise and rise of Victor and Lilly Feng, the assassination attempts on Alan and Madelyn, Action's missing memory, Geoffrey's mysterious death and Leanne McGregor...a woman with seemingly strange powers. Maybe The Visitors are little green men, maybe they're Russians or something else. But they're real and they are somehow behind it all!"
"So we carry on?" asked Neil.
"We carry on!" replied Suzy.
