Act of War - Brad Thor Page 0,28
attack now?”
“No,” the general replied.
“No? Don’t they understand what’s at stake? We’ve lost contact with a cell member. We have to assume that his cover has been blown and that the Americans are wringing every ounce of intelligence out of him that they can.”
“None of which will point to us.”
Shi threw up his hands in disbelief. “All six cells trained together. They know how the attack is to be carried out.”
Wu nodded. “They know the delivery method, but not the means.”
“From just one cell member, a skilled interrogator could paint a bigger picture.”
“With broad brushstrokes,” Wu clarified, “anyone can paint a big picture. But without the details, the Americans have nothing.”
“They will have enough. That’s why we need to strike. If we don’t do it now, we’re going to lose our chance. And if the Americans figure out what is happening, they will have cause to strike us. We have to move first.”
Wu took a deep drag on his cigarette and, exhaling a whorl of smoke, replied, “The PSC agrees.”
Shi’s eyes widened and his mouth was agape. He was being whipsawed. “I don’t understand. They agree, but they don’t want to launch the attack? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“The have suggested a different path.”
“A different path? What different path? There is no different path. There is either attack or wait to be attacked.”
“They want to be absolutely sure that the missing cell member has been compromised before agreeing to launch the attack.”
Shi shook his head. Politicians. “He has missed four communication windows. He has not accessed his email and he is not answering his cell phone. We have no way of knowing what has happened to him. We have to assume that—”
“The PSC wants us to send Cheng,” the general interrupted.
Shi’s eyes widened once again. “How does the Politburo Standing Committee even know about Cheng?”
“From the General Secretary. He quietly likes to refer to Cheng as China’s James Bond.”
“He’s not James Bond,” Shi replied angrily, “and the General Secretary shouldn’t be referring to him at all—quietly or otherwise.”
“I agree with you, but what’s done is done. The General Secretary and the PSC want us to use Cheng.”
“Even after what happened?”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Wu insisted. “They have no idea what happened. As far as they’re concerned, it was an accident.”
“But you and I know better. We know a Communist Party official blackmailed Cheng’s wife into bed and when Cheng found out, he killed him. He only made it look like an accident.”
“Has Cheng ever confessed this to you?”
“No,” Shi replied. “But when I put it to him directly, he didn’t deny it either.”
“We should never ask questions we don’t want the answers to.”
“Regardless, he’s not ready to go back out.”
“Do we have another operative as familiar with America and with such a well-backstopped cover?” asked Wu.
It was a rhetorical question. Shi answered it anyway. “We have several.”
The general looked at him and smiled. “None of them are as good as Cheng. He will get the information we need and he will do what needs to be done. Which brings me to this,” he said, removing a slip of paper from his pocket and sliding it across his subordinate’s desk.
As soon as Shi began to read it, he shook his head. “Impossible. No way.”
Wu had anticipated this reaction. Orders were orders. He pressed on. “Of the nine Politburo Standing Committee members, five have a child or grandchild currently attending school in the United States. All of whom would have been home for Chinese New Year.”
“Princelings,” Shi said with contempt. It was the derogatory term used for offspring of influential Communist Party leaders.
Wu ignored his sarcasm. “They are willing to sacrifice the Chinese diplomatic corps and the other Chinese VIPs within the United States. Their children, though, are another matter. If Cheng confirms that Snow Dragon has been compromised, you may launch the attack, but only after the names on that list are safe.”
“Define safe.”
The general paused for a moment before responding. “Their relatives would like them immediately brought home. Obviously, we can’t do that.”
“Obviously,” Shi stated. “The Americans would know something was afoot. How are we supposed to round up all five when—”
Wu had his answer ready. “The Americans have them under intermittent physical surveillance. Their FBI doesn’t have the manpower to watch them 24/7. We assume there are informants in their social circles and that their electronics are being monitored. None of this, though, will prevent Cheng from getting to them.”
“Wait. They want Cheng used for this operation, too?”
“Nothing is