The strong cadence of the drumbeats filled the square, reverberating against the monument hall, against the glass and steel high-rises that towered around us, lit in neon lights and bright moving advertisements. Aircars and -peds zipped overhead, but the drummers with their agile fists and swirling sleeves made us forget all of this—took us back in time with their primal beats. Our reactions were completely visceral, as the people, mei or you, bobbed their heads and tapped their feet to the tempo that riveted us. In this moment, we were together and we felt as one.

The performance ended after a rousing solo from the young man at the center. A moment of silence followed after his large drum stopped reverberating on the last dramatic beat, and the quiet was palpable before the audience burst into cheers and applause. Many in the audience stamped their feet and whistled in enthusiasm. You could say whatever you liked about Jin, but the man knew how to put on a good show. As the drummers ran off the plaza carrying their instruments, two figures emerged from the hall’s entrance, both clad in white suits. I zoomed in on them and saw that their sleeve edges were striped in red and a white sun design embroidered over a square blue background was set above their hearts—an exact replica of the Taiwanese flag.

How patriotic.

Although his helmet was tinted, I knew the taller individual was Jin himself. I glanced at the person standing beside him—a woman—and suddenly realized it was Daiyu. Not only did I recognize the long lines of her physique, but in the way she stood, legs slightly apart. If I could see beneath her tinted helmet, I knew her chin would be thrust forward in a challenge.

Suddenly, both Jin’s and Daiyu’s helmets lost their tint and we could see their faces. Jin began speaking, and he was directly projected in helmet to me. He was a good-looking man in his forties with a slight gray at his temples, and confident as only the richest person in Taiwan could be. Annoyed, I tried to turn the image off via thought, then voice command, but neither worked. All yous in suit would be seeing this broadcast—whether they liked it or not. The best I could do was minimize the broadcast in helmet.