‘Come with us,’ Nicky said urgently. ‘Come with us to the Martyrs’ Monument, find one of the bullhorns you’ve been using, and relay a message to the students. They’ll listen to you, you’re one of their leaders. Ask them to leave, beg them, if necessary. And you must leave with them. If you and the other students get out of Tiananmen while there’s still time, you’ll save your lives. Please, Yoyo, do this. It will be an act of bravery if you lead the students away from the square. It will be a good thing to do.’
She reached out impulsively, took hold of his arm, stared deeply into his eyes. ‘Please, Yoyo, don’t stay here. You could be killed.’
Her words appeared to reach him. ‘I come monument. Soon. Bring Mai, my girlfriend. Go, Nicky. I come soon. I promise.’
‘We’ll be waiting for you. Don’t be too long, Yoyo. There’s not much time left.’
***
Nicky and Clee returned to the Martyrs’ Monument.
They found Luke waiting for them, and Nicky told him what had transpired with Yoyo, repeating what the student leader had said to them about the troops coming that night or in the early hours of the morning.
‘Oh Jesus!’ Luke exclaimed. ‘Those kids don’t stand a chance if that happens.’
‘They’re sitting ducks,’ Nicky pointed out. ‘They’re centred in a relatively small area, in relation to the overall size of the square, which is three-quarters empty right now. If the army comes in from the other side, it’ll have a clear run straight across the square.’
‘That’s right,’ Luke muttered, sounding troubled.
‘Let’s hope Yoyo can persuade the students to leave before that happens,’ Clee said, wanting to be positive.
Nicky was silent, her expression anxious, but within seconds she brightened. ‘Here he is now, thank goodness. Perhaps we can get him up on the monument with a bullhorn at once. He can at least warn the kids.’
Yoyo and his girlfriend Mai joined them. They were holding hands, and Yoyo said, ‘This my friend, Mai. Her English not very excellent. Sorry.’
‘No need to apologize,’ Nicky replied with genuine warmth. She looked at Mai, and was startled by her. When she had seen the girl a little earlier, she had not realized how lovely Mai was. Her features were beautiful, and her black, almond-shaped eyes were enormous in her sweet, innocent young face. She had long glossy black hair, was a small and slender creature, and everything about her was delicate, almost dainty. Nicky thought she was enchanting, like a little doll.
Thrusting out her hand, Nicky said with a welcoming smile, ‘I’m pleased to know you, Mai.’
The girl smiled back, although rather shyly, showing perfect white teeth. She took Nicky’s hand in hers, and Nicky was surprised at the firmness of her hold; her grip was surprisingly strong. ‘Hi,’ she said softly.
Next, Mai shook hands with Clee and Luke, who murmured their greetings and smiled, obviously appreciating the girl’s inherent loveliness as much as Nicky.
Nicky swung her eyes to Yoyo. ‘Did you find a bullhorn?’
‘Not necessary. I don’t speak. Chai Ling speak. Later.’
‘You’ve seen her?’ Nicky asked, her voice suddenly sharp.
‘Yes, near goddess. Chai Ling will take bullhorn, tell students to go home. She promise.’
‘Let’s hope she keeps that promise,’ Clee murmured. ‘In the meantime, let’s take the weight off our feet.’
The five of them found places on the ledges that ran around the base and lower part of the monument, and sat down to wait for Arch and Jimmy. And hopefully Chai Ling, the respected leader of the student movement, commander-in-chief of the Tiananmen demonstrators, and a graduate student in psychology at Beijing Normal University.
***
It was almost one o’clock in the morning of 3 June when Arch and Jimmy finally appeared. They came running into the square at a rapid jog. As they drew to a stop in front of the small group clustered together on the monument, Nicky immediately noticed their troubled expressions.
‘What is it?’ she cried, glancing at Arch and then at Jimmy, a blonde brow raised speculatively. She sat forward tensely.
Between short gasps, trying to catch his breath, Arch blurted out, ‘The troops are coming down Changan Avenue from the east. We just saw them as we were heading towards the square and—’
Jimmy interjected, ‘They’re being stopped by the people.’
‘What do you mean?’ Nicky cried, looking puzzled.
‘The citizens of Beijing have formed a blockade… with their bodies. A human blockade. To stop the army getting to the students in the square. They’re keeping the army out of the square,’ Jimmy explained.
‘I’ll be damned,’ Luke said.
Clee did not wait to hear another word, and neither did Nicky. They wanted to see everything for themselves, as always the observers, the reporters.
Simultaneously they both jumped off the ledge where they were sitting together and began to run towards Tiananmen Gate which led into Changan Avenue. They were closely followed by Yoyo, who was clutching Mai’s hand, and behind them came Luke, sprinting forward at such a speed he soon caught up with Clee and Nicky. Arch and Jimmy took a few seconds to catch their breath, and then they also took off at a fast pace, making for the entrance onto the avenue.
Nicky and Clee were the first to reach the crowds of people flooding Changan. And almost instantly they were separated from each other by the swirling masses.
She had never seen anything like this in her life. It was formidable. What Jimmy had said was true. The citizens were blocking the army, preventing the soldiers from moving forward, literally holding them back with their bodies. They truly were a human shield. She saw that they were actually pushing the soldiers back. And what an army it was. Kids, she thought in astonishment, as she stared at the troops. They were just kids; they looked even younger than the students.
Nicky lost no time. Without considering her own safety, she moved closer to the crowds, needing to be nearer the action. Within seconds she was surrounded by people, caught in the middle of them against her own volition, and swept forward by the force and movement of their bodies. There was a lot of pushing and shoving. Several times she swayed, almost went down. At one moment, as people pressed into her from behind, she reached out, desperately clutched at a man’s arm. He swung around angrily, then quickly helped her to regain her balance. Almost immediately, and unexpectedly, a young woman grabbed at her jacket, as the crowd surged forward yet again, carrying everyone closer to the troops. Nicky almost fell because the Chinese woman was clinging to her with such tenacity, but somehow she stayed upright, and they bolstered each other, gave each other physical support. The mass of people swept on and on, and Nicky thought she would stumble or be knocked over, or that she would be trampled. She was conscious of people jostling her, pressing into her from all sides. And so hemmed in was she that she had trouble keeping her balance, staying on her feet.
Exactly at the precise moment she experienced her first flicker of panic, wondered if she was going to be crushed to death, she felt a hand grasp her elbow roughly. Half turning her head, looking over her shoulder, she saw Arch standing immediately behind her.
‘Thanks,’ she gasped with relief, then shouted above the noise, ‘The troops seem to be unarmed.’
‘They also look frightened to death.’
‘Bewildered.’
There was a great deal more pushing and shoving and jostling, as well as angry shouting on the part of the Beijingers before they surged onward en masse. They were like a huge tidal wave of immense force and power, as they propelled Nicky and Arch along with them.
Immediately ahead were the young soldiers, none of whom looked to be a day older than eighteen. They were being mauled and bruised and scratched as the people pushed at them, ranted at them. Nicky began to realize that the inflamed citizens of the capital were lecturing the soldiers, scolding them as if they were their children. Most of the troops were milling around in total confu
sion, and many of them had broken down and were starting to cry.
Clinging to Arch tightly, Nicky exclaimed, ‘These kids don’t know what the hell this is all about!’
‘I’m convinced of it,’ Arch answered, putting his arm around her waist, grabbing her to him, determined to keep her safe in this melee.
Unexpectedly, she saw Jimmy pushing his way closer to them.
How he had found them in the crowds Nicky would never know. He had sprung up as if from nowhere, and swiftly he took hold of her arm. ‘Come on, we’re getting out of this mob!’ he cried.
By using great force and being ruthlessly aggressive, Jimmy and Arch managed to push Nicky and themselves through the seething mass of people until they were finally staggering out onto the extreme edge of Changan Avenue. They were sweating and panting, and the three of them stood huddled together under the trees at the side of the wide boulevard, breathing sighs of relief as they straightened their clothes.
Arch said, ‘By the looks of those kids, we weren’t in danger of being shot at, but we were in danger of being trampled to death by that mob.’
‘Our best bet is to stand here and watch what’s happening from the sidelines,’ Nicky announced.
Arch and Jimmy were startled by her words.
Jimmy said, ‘Hey, that’s a new one for you, kiddo! When have you ever been on the sidelines?’ Not waiting for an answer, he rushed on, ‘But you’re right, it is safer here. Being in the middle of that lot was like being in the centre of… a stampede. And what an army it is… just look at ’em. They’re burdened down with camp gear, canteens and knapsacks, yet they don’t have any weapons.’ He shook his head wonderingly.
‘I told you they weren’t armed, Arch,’ Nicky said.
Clee hurried to join them a few minutes later. His hair was rumpled, his jacket ripped, but otherwise he looked totally unscathed. His Nikon was slung around his neck and there was a triumphant glint in his dark eyes. ‘I got some great shots,’ he told them.
‘Isn’t that a bit dangerous, showing your camera, Clee?’ Jimmy asked, eyeing the Nikon nervously. ‘It’s liable to get pulled off your neck and smashed.’
‘Not by this bunch, James,’ Clee shot back confidently. ‘They’re on my side, on our side. They want their pictures taken… they’re chanting the usual thing… tell the world, tell the world.’
‘But the riot police—’ Arch began and abruptly stopped. ‘I guess there are no police around.’
‘It’s doubtful,’ Clee responded. ‘At this moment, anyhow.’
‘Maybe I should go and get our cameras, try something live with Nicky,’ Jimmy suggested, looking at Arch. ‘We might just get away with it.’
‘No,’ Arch said.
‘I’ll do a phone narration, and we can film on the balcony later, Jimmy, as we planned,’ Nicky soothed, knowing it was hopeless to argue with Arch when he was in this overly-cautious mood. She had frequently been in the line of fire on battlefields and he hadn’t batted an eyelash or said anything about danger. But ever since they had been in Beijing he had been mouthing words of warning constantly, and she couldn’t help wondering why. She would ask him later. Now was not the time. She glanced around, her eyes seeking Luke. He was nowhere to be seen; neither were Yoyo and little Mai. They had been swallowed up by that mass of swaying, shouting people.
But eventually, much to her relief, Luke hove in view, and Yoyo and Mai were with him. She was limping, had obviously hurt her leg or her foot, and Yoyo was helping her.
‘Has Mai been injured?’ Nicky cried in concern, running to them.
‘Not serious,’ Yoyo said. ‘Man stand on Mai’s foot. She okay.’
Nicky put her arm around the Chinese girl’s shoulders in a rather motherly fashion, and the four of them walked over to the spot where the others were gathered.
Luke said to Nicky, ‘It’s surprising the rest of us weren’t hurt. You are okay, aren’t you, Nicky?’
‘I’m fine, thanks, Luke. And presumably you are?’
‘Not a scratch.’
They sat down under the trees on the side of Changan Avenue, wanting to collect themselves and cool off. In spite of the breeze, the air was warm, almost heavy, and both Nicky and Clee took their jackets off. Arch passed around a packet of cigarettes but everyone declined, except for Yoyo. Mai sat next to him, examining her foot, and said something to him in Chinese. He smiled, nodded, quickly turned to Nicky. ‘Mai say foot not broken. Bruised.’
Nicky nodded. ‘Good.’ She leaned forward to Yoyo with enormous urgency. ‘Did you find anything out? Where are those troops from? And what’s happening?’
Yoyo puffed on his cigarette for a second, and then he told her, ‘Troops from far away. From outside Beijing. They march many hours. They told go on manoeuvres. They told go stop troublemakers. They no understand. They afraid. They young boys. People lecture them. Tell them don’t hurt students. Soldiers don’t know this Beijing. Don’t know where this is. They no fight, Nicky. They too scared.’
‘Thank God for that, but what an anticlimax!’ Nicky exclaimed.
‘Where are the helicopters?’ Clee asked, looking up at the night sky, then at Yoyo.
‘No come now,’ Yoyo said, sounding as though he knew what he was talking about. ‘No tear gas.’
There was a small silence.
It was Nicky who broke it. The People’s Liberation Army came to Beijing to quell the student demonstrators, and were conquered by the citizens. Not a single shot was fired.’
And several hours later that was how she began her nightly newscast to the United States.
***
Saturday dawned bright and sunny.
The young soldiers, still bewildered and now very dispirited, finally retreated down Changan Avenue in the middle of the morning.
The Beijingers went home and stayed there, or continued on to their places of work. The students went to sleep in their tents and buses, and a certain air of calmness descended over Changan Avenue and Tiananmen Square. There was a semblance of order and normality.
Nicky was convinced the tranquillity was phony and that the situation had been contained for only a short while—a dozen or so hours at the most. The way she saw it, the Chinese government would take a hard line because they would perceive the army’s retreat as a humiliation. They would automatically blame the students, even though it had been the ordinary citizens who had stood up to the troops, and prevented them from entering the square. And they would act accordingly, with great force and violence.
After snatching a few hours’ sleep, once her broadcast was finished, she had been in and out of the square all day. Instinctively, she knew that the atmosphere of calmness was underscored by tension and fear, and she voiced this thought to Clee.
They sat having a snack in the Western Dining Room of the Beijing Hotel on Saturday afternoon. Leaning across the table, she added, ‘The crackdown’s still coming. I’m just off by a few hours, that’s all.’
‘I know,’ Clee said, and took a sip of his coffee. Putting the cup down, he went on in a low tone, ‘The government wants those kids out of the square in the worst way now. They’re losing face in the West, and they can’t stand that. I’ll tell you something else, Nick, when it does happen it’ll be fast.’
‘And bloody. And short. It won’t last very long, Clee.’
He nodded. ‘By Monday it’ll be all over bar the shouting, and the aftermath’s going to be pretty goddamn lousy. There’ll be arrests, trials, repression, and Christ knows what else.’
‘I’m concerned about Yoyo,’ Nicky confided, sudden worry flicking into her eyes. ‘He’s been in the thick of it, and he is one of the leaders. He’s going to be in grave danger. I wish we could get him out of Beijing.’
‘We can,’ Clee said. Bringing his head closer to hers across the table, he continued, ‘And incidentally, you just took the words right out of my mouth. I was about to tell you that I’ve been thinking about giving him money for an airline ticket. For Hong Kong
. We’ll take him along with us when we leave. He can stay there for a few days and decide what he wants to do.’
‘I’ll split the price of the ticket with you.’
‘You don’t have to,’ he began, then seeing the determined look on her face, he finished, ‘Okay, you’ve got a deal.’
‘There’s another problem.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Mai. Yoyo won’t leave Beijing without her.’
‘So we’ll give him enough for two plane tickets. I couldn’t live with myself if we left those two kids behind, and I know for sure you couldn’t, Nicky. Arch and the guys’ll feel the same way, and it’s the least we can do. Yoyo’s been terrific, very helpful to all of us.’ He grinned. ‘So what the hell, Mai comes along as well. The more the merrier.’
Nicky smiled at him. ‘You’re a good guy, Clee Donovan.’
‘So are you, Nicky Wells.’ There was a little silence, and then Clee asked, ‘Where are you heading when we leave here?’
‘You mean after Hong Kong?’
‘Yeah.’
‘New York. Where are you going?’
‘Back to gay Paree. But I may be in New York at the end of this month. When I spoke to the office last night, or rather, in the early hours of this morning, Jean-Claude told me there’s an assignment in from Life Magazine for me. If I want it. And I’m thinking of taking it… I wouldn’t mind a few weeks back in the good old US of A.’
‘Oh God, finally I’m stuck!’ Nicky exclaimed, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.
‘What do you mean?’
‘If you come to New York at long last, I’m going to have to cook you that fancy dinner I’ve been promising you for the last year and a half.’
‘Hey, Nick, that’ll be great!’ he cried, his face lighting up. ‘I’m holding you to it, and I’ll bring the wine.’ He motioned to one of the waitresses, and as she came gliding over to the table he asked her for the check. Turning to Nicky, he said, ‘Let’s mosey on back to the square, see what’s going on. I get a bit nervous if I’m away for very long.’