Imagine (Fuzed Trilogy Book 2) Page 17
Shearer added, “They’ve been investing heavily in military technology and infrastructure. Their sixth aircraft carrier battle group just became operational. If they continue their growth, they’ll eclipse us and be the world’s largest Navy by the end of the decade.” The admiral raised his eyebrows, adding, “Navies do a lot of things, but are particularly effective at projecting power across the globe.”
Davidson added, “The Chinese are also expanding their nuclear arsenal.” He paused. “But let’s not jump to conclusions. This is all circumstantial. We need to find the truth — who’s really behind this.”
Tim said, “Dr. Lee appears to be cooperative. She said she needed to check some things that might narrow the possibilities. We’re going to meet with her again tomorrow.”
Davidson said, “Good. Her knowledge is essential to figuring this out.” Clearly wrapping up the meeting, he said, “Thank you, gentlemen, for the excellent work. This has become a national security priority. Please keep me informed.”
Josh turned his phone back on and felt it vibrate. Looking down, he saw a text from Jen. “Dr. Jessica Lee just boarded a plane for Shanghai.” Josh said, “Hold on. Just got a text that says Dr. Lee’s on her way to China.”
Davidson turned to Carl. “Can you confirm that?”
Carl grabbed a phone in the room.
Tim said, “That can’t be. We had her on a priority watch list.”
Greg looked at them questioningly.
Davidson said, “That means she shouldn’t have been able to make a reservation or get within 25 miles of an airport without our knowing.”
Carl, still holding the phone, said, “Dr. Lee is headed for Shanghai. She caught a flight from D.C. to Detroit two hours ago, and her flight from Detroit to Shanghai just took off.”
Shearer looked at Davidson and shook his head ominously. “Unit 61398?”
Frowning, Davidson nodded.
Greg asked, “Unit what?”
Shearer said, “Over the past 10 years, we’ve traced an overwhelming number of attacks on American corporations and U.S. government agencies to one location.” He paused. “A 12-story building in a rundown neighborhood on the outskirts of Shanghai. It’s under the control of the People’s Liberation Army, and they refer to it as Unit 61398.”
Tim said, “We might be able to divert the flight.”
Still holding the phone, Carl said, “It’s a China Eastern Airline jet, and they’ll be out of U.S. airspace in a few minutes.”
Davidson said, “The Canadians would help us out, but diverting a Chinese national airliner wouldn’t be subtle.” He shook his head. “She’s an American citizen, and we don’t have time to provide probable cause for an arrest warrant.” He looked around the table. “This changes things. The evidence is still circumstantial, but growing.” Davidson looked at Tim. “How fast can you be in China?”
Tim, getting a nod from Josh and Greg, said, “Next flight.”
Davidson said, “I’ll hook you up with the local station chief and assign whatever in-country assets you need.” He paused. “You’ll need a cover story.”
Greg threw in, “I’m working on the space-based laser. It’s an international effort, and we have colleagues all over the world, including China. We’re going to use some of their heavy-lift rockets and their new space station to help with assembly.”
Davidson said, “Perfect. No one would question your presence, and your reputation imparts some protection.” He looked at Tim and Josh. “You two can be his government liaison.”
They nodded.
Shearer said, “In light of this, I’m going to recommend to the President that we go to INFOCON 2 and,” he blew out a lungful of air, “DEFCON 4.”
III
DEFCON
双重间谍将被揭示
26
SHANGHAI
They had an hour to make the connection to Shanghai out of Dulles International, earning them a high-speed police escort to the airport.
On the way, Tim updated the text encryption app on their phones so they could communicate securely once in China.
Josh bought and downloaded the most advanced Mandarin language program he could find. He would use the flight to start learning Chinese.
They arrived at the airport, and by skipping security, hit their gate 10 minutes before boarding.
While standing outside the gate, Tim received a call. After he finished, he said to Josh, “Looks like Lee was able to slip out undetected because our tracking system missed her flight reservations due to a software glitch.”
Josh exhaled. “As if running weren’t enough to indict her, she must have hacked the CIA’s tracking system.”
Tim said, “She ... or whoever she’s working for. She may be nothing more than the technical skills behind the attacks. Unfortunately, we’re chasing her to a place where she has home-field advantage.”
Josh frowned. “If the Chinese government is behind this—”
Tim finished, “We could be walking into a trap.”
Josh nodded toward Greg. “Need to let lover boy know.”
Greg was coming back from an airport shop with an ice cream cone. Josh met him and asked, “Good?”
“Love ice cream. Calms my nerves.”
“Then you may want to grab another one.”
“Why?”
“Lee slipped past us because of a software issue.” He looked Greg in the eye. “It’s looking more like Lee could be one of the bad guys.”
Greg smiled. “You’re suggesting I might not get a date.”
Josh just raised his eyebrows.
Greg shook his head. “Look, I know you think I’m smitten by her. I admit she’s pretty hot, and I still think she’s innocent, but I know I could be totally wrong.”
Josh said, “Yeah, and if it turns out she’s part of something much bigger, we could be headed into real trouble. Even if she’s innocent, she could be a pawn in a bigger plot.” He shook his head. “Look, Greg, I’ve already taken you into some very dangerous situations. The CIA hired you as a consultant, not to do black ops. Unlike last time, you have time to think about this one. I wouldn’t hold it against you for a second if you sit this one out. You can still help us from here by phone and secure text.”
Chasing the ice cream down into the cone, Greg said, “Are you serious?” Using the cone to punctuate his statements, he said, “First of all, trying to help you long-distance is about as effective as trying to tell my grandma how to remove a computer virus over the phone.” He rolled his eyes. “Second, I’m getting to do what most guys only pretend to do in video games. I’m totally in. Besides,” he grinned, “the Director said I’m a national asset. They wouldn’t dare touch me.”
Josh nodded. “That’s only true if they’re not planning on wiping out the Western world.”
Greg gave him a half-smile. “If they are ... doesn’t really matter where I am, does it?”
Josh matched his smile. “OK, but just in case, you’ve got five minutes before we board.”
Greg threw his empty cone away and said, “Commander Fuze, I know the danger’s real, but this time — no offense — I think I understand what’s at stake more than you do.”
Like Lee, they landed in Detroit, but from there, they took a Delta flight to Shanghai. On the Boeing 787, the agency gave them business class seats, which allowed them to sleep comfortably on the 15-hour flight.
With little need for sleep, Josh jumped into his Mandarin language program. He used his cyber glasses and noise cancelling ear buds. The jet’s ambient noise allowed him to practice his pronunciations without disturbing anyone, and he discovered he could speed up the audios.
Nine hours into the flight, he was almost through the syllabus. He took a break and used the plane’s Wi-Fi to text Jen. “Thank you for warning us Dr. Lee was leaving for China. That was very important. You are an awesome assistant!”
She texted back, “Thank you. I also found out where Heaven is.”
Josh c
ouldn’t help but smile as he typed back, “You did? And where is it?”
“It’s in one of the seven collapsed dimensions of Superstring Theory.”
His eyebrows went up. Little Jen was definitely not an average seven-year-old. He’d had similar thoughts — another indication he and Jen were cousins. He was about to ask her how she had arrived at this conclusion, when she asked, “Do you think that’s where God lives?”
Where was Elizabeth when he needed her? He didn’t want to get into a theological discussion, partly because he didn’t know what he believed himself, but also because he was afraid of how her guardians might react if they saw his texts. He couldn’t risk being cut off from her. So, he did what Jesse did to him. “Jen, what do you think?”
“God has to exist.”
Curious, Josh asked, “And why is that?”
“Your DNA code is way streamlined. You were designed recently, and so was I. I’ve been reading up about genetics. Nobody can do that.”
He was impressed with her logic. She was right about the state-of-the-art in genetics. He’d done similar research and came to the same conclusion, but there were several other possibilities that didn’t require a supreme being. He didn’t want to bias her by sharing his conjecture. “We’ll talk more about that later. Jen, I’m on my way to China and need to finish learning to speak Chinese before I get there.”
She texted back, “Did you know there are over 6,500 different languages?”
“No, I didn’t. That probably explains many of the misunderstandings we have in the world today.”
She replied, “Chinese is spoken by more people than any other language. I’ll learn how to speak it too.”
Josh bet she could learn it as fast as he could. “That’d be great. Then we can practice with each other.” He added, “But you also need to get outside and play.”
Jen responded, “I can’t go outside.”
“Are you still grounded?”
“Kind of.”
“Did you get in trouble because you’re talking to me? I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“No! Talking to you is the best thing I get to do all day. Please don’t stop talking to me.”
“I promise I won’t. Talking to you is one of the best things I get to do all day too.” As he set his phone down, he realized that was a true statement. As soon as Tim found her, they would pay her guardians a visit.
He finished the language syllabus and caught a couple hours of sleep before they landed.
After getting through customs, Greg said, “Hey, let’s take the Maglev. Did you know it’s the fastest train in the world?”
Tim said, “It’s just a technology demonstrator. Only goes to the outskirts of the city. It won’t shorten our trip at all.”
Greg shrugged. “I like technology demonstrators.”
Tim shook his head.
Josh winked at Greg. “Maybe Dad will let us ride it on the way home.”
The cab ride from Pudong International Airport to their hotel was about an hour, which allowed Josh to test his newfound language on the taxi driver. Chinese had been harder for him to learn than Spanish, but he was already able to understand, and to a lesser degree, be understood.
Greg shook his head and said, “Those language programs must have gotten a lot better since I tried them.”
It was late afternoon as they drove into the city. Perched on the east coast of China, Shanghai was arguably the largest city in the world by population. As such, it didn’t look that different from any other modern mega-metropolis. The skyline was very impressive, but it was also unique. It almost looked like there was a skyscraper competition that rewarded unusual shapes.
They arrived at their hotel near the city’s center. Tim wanted to keep them all together, so he reserved a large suite with multiple bedrooms. It was luxurious and decorated in Western style with a touch of the orient. As soon as the bellman left, Tim pulled out a device about the size of a cell phone and scanned the entire suite for surveillance bugs. Finally nodding, he said, “Place looks clean, but you can never be sure. Be careful what you talk about.” He leaned toward them and whispered, “Need to check in with the local talent. Stay here. I’ll be back in an hour.”
After the long flight, Josh appreciated being able to slip off his shoes and the heavy Taser ring that was pinching his finger. He went into one of the bedrooms with his suitcase, threw it on the bed and checked his phone for texts. There weren’t any from Jen. He wanted to check in on her, but was nervous about initiating text, afraid her guardians might notice it.
As he started to unpack, his phone rang. It was Elizabeth. Josh sat down on the edge of the bed to talk. Before leaving, he’d told her that their conversations might be monitored. He knew she just wanted to know they’d arrived safely.
Elizabeth asked, “How’s the weather?”
“Kind of like it was in Columbia, upper sixties.”
He asked her how the U.N. relief work was going.
She was excited to tell him about their accomplishments and also shared some frustrations.
Josh smiled. Office politics were universal. They talked for another 10 minutes about nothing in particular.
Elizabeth asked, “So, how’s Greg handling the trip?”
Before Josh could answer, a short scream echoed through the suite.
As Josh turned to see what happened, Elizabeth exclaimed, “Oh my God! What was that?”
Josh stifled a laugh, and yelled, “Greg, you OK?”
There was a low moaning sound from the floor, next to the table where he’d set his ring.
Into the phone, Josh said, “Sorry. Greg was, uh, playing with something ... electrical ... he shouldn’t have. Hang on a sec.”
Trying not to laugh, he said, “Told you not to mess with that.” He shook his head and more sympathetically, said, “It’ll take a few minutes, but you’ll be able to reattach your head shortly.”
With a small whimpering sound, Greg waved his hand from the floor.
On the phone, Josh said, “He’s OK.”
Elizabeth, knowing about Josh’s ring experience, said, “Like father, like son?”
Josh smiled. “Dang curious engineers.”
They wrapped up their conversation, and he went to help Greg. Tim was right; it was funny when you were on the other side. Suppressing a smile, he pulled Greg off the floor. Just as Greg was standing up, Tim returned.
Tim looked at Greg dusting himself off and gave them both a questioning look.
Josh bent over, picked up his Taser ring from the floor and held it up.
Tim just shook his head with a slight smile and then motioned them close. He whispered, “It’s more challenging to track our target in Shanghai, but the local office found out she headed for her parents’ home after she landed. It’s just outside the city. Turns out Lee’s father isn’t just a military officer, he’s a General and a member of the Central Military Commission.”
Josh whistled softly.
Greg asked, “What’s the Central Military Commission?”
Josh said, “An 11-member board in charge of all the military forces in China.”
Tim continued, “The U.S. just went to DEFCON 3. Officially, they’re saying the higher defense posture allows them to engage military assets to stop the hacking.”
Josh said, “But ...?”
Tim said, “They’re sending an aircraft carrier battle group toward China and deploying several squadrons to Hawaii and Guam, ostensibly, for training exercises.”
Greg asked, “Won’t the Chinese know it’s not for training purposes?”
Josh said, “That’s the point. It’s intended to send a message. Let them know they’re on the suspect list, and if they’re involved, they need to stop immediately.”
Greg nodded and then said, “I’m starving.”
They were all hungry. To save time, they ordered from room service.
As it arrived, Greg started checking out the various dishes. Latching on to
warm, parchment colored dumplings, he bit one in half. Liquid immediately ran down his chin and onto his shirt.
Tim said, “That would be Xiaolongbao. They’re filled with pork and—”
“Soup?” Greg finished.
Tim nodded.
Greg shrugged and grabbed another. This time he stuffed the whole thing in his mouth.
After they finished, Josh quietly asked, “What’s the plan?”
Tim leaned in. “We have the address of her parents. We’ll position ourselves outside their house, call her and ask to meet.”
Josh said, “That might just send her into hiding.”
“That’s why we’ll be outside the house. If she wants to talk, we can do it quickly. If she bolts, we might be able to intercept her or follow her.”
Greg smiled shyly. “I have her unlisted cell phone number.”
Josh grinned. “Told you I’d help you meet women—”
“That are a threat to national security,” Tim finished.
Josh shrugged. “Picky ... picky ... picky.”
27
SUSPECT
Dr. Jessica Lee drove to her parents’ house on the outskirts of Shanghai. Located in a gated community, their home was a beautiful, two-story, contemporary house with a Frank Lloyd Wright look. It sat in the middle of a large, perfectly manicured lawn. Surrounding the property was a black, wrought-iron fence, ornate but tall enough to provide security.
As she drove up the driveway, she was impressed with their home, particularly considering they were government employees ... but it wasn’t her home. Not only didn’t she grow up here, she’d never even seen pictures of this place. Although she talked to her mother several times a year, the last time she’d actually seen her was 14 years ago.
Taking a deep breath, she gathered up her courage and headed for the front door. Before she could knock, Dr. Li Sun opened the door. She came out and cupped her daughter’s hands in hers. Seeing the tears in her mother’s eyes, Jessica hugged her. Hugging definitely wasn’t traditional, but her mother returned the hug. They clung to each other for quite a while. It felt good.