“Fine, let me see what I can do.” Marsh looked as if he had just had a brilliant idea.
Pole started to stand up. Marsh waved him back down.
“Now, how about Ms Wu?”
* * *
The deafening noise made everyone jump.
Beth’s scream was drowned out by the sound of metal tumbling down.
Rachel Lord climbed the stairs two at a time, jumped onto the banister and eased herself onto the window sill, just as Cora had done earlier.
“Cora … Cora …” She heaved her body into the room.
The dust and soot were coming up in thick clouds. She started coughing.
But she was not the only one. Someone down below was coughing too.
“Put a cloth over your mouth.” Rachel Lord shouted. “Close your eyes if you can.” She swung back out for a moment.
The coughing had become more muffled.
“Get me some water.” Senior Officer Lord shouted. “A bottle, quick.”
Charlie darted up the stairwell. He never went anywhere without a sports bottle.
“I’ve drunk from it …”
Beth did not let him finish his sentence. She grabbed it and handed it over to Senior Officer Lord. She disappeared back into Cora’s flat.
The coughing had become less frequent. Using one arm, Cora was slowly making her way up the rope she had tied around her harness. Her face emerged from the settling dust.
She was covered in grime, but she held in her left hand a piece of metal pipe. Senior Officer Lord held her hand out and managed to get hold of the rope. She hauled Cora back towards the inner window sill.
“Are you alright? You gave us a fright.” She helped her to settle on the window ledge, unscrewed the bottle cap and handed it over to her. Cora took a long pull, spluttered out a bit of water and coughed.
“I’m sorry.” She managed to utter with a croaky voice.
Senior Officer Lord swung her body outside again. Cora moved her legs out too, untied the rope from the harness, and jumped onto the staircase landing.
She showed them the piece of pipe she had retrieved from her props.
“Is that it?” Johnny had joined the small party on the landing.
Cora didn’t reply. One end of the pipe had been hammered down so that it was almost flat. The other was sealed with a piece of metal.
Cora tried to ease it off with her fingers but found she had little grip.
She felt anger and anxiety rising in her belly. She turned around. She had no tools available to pull off the cap.
She slammed the piece of metal on the ground with such force, everyone stepped back.
The cap flew off and out sprang a purple-coloured USB key.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Good morning Ms Wu … this is your morning wake up call,” the female voice chimed. “Have a very nice day.”
Nancy barely managed a thank you. For a short moment she couldn’t quite recall where she was.
It was 7.30am. She was in Hong Kong and had a long day ahead of her.
Her breakfast would be arriving at 8am. She had no time to lose.
When the waitress rang the doorbell of the suite, Nancy was ready. She had chosen a pair of plain light jeans, a navy T-shirt, a pair of sports shoes, but could not resist the appeal of their designer label.
She went to the door, checked the person waiting on the other side through the small camera screen that had been mounted inside the suite. It was the same young woman who had helped her with the move to her new room. Perhaps the hotel had thought that a familiar face would help to make her more at ease.
She shook her head. The poor girl must have had little sleep in between her two shifts. Still, Nancy was grateful for the thought.
The young woman was laying the table for Nancy in the living room, when Nancy’s phone rang. Licot’s name flashed on the screen. She pressed the reply button and moved to the bedroom.
“Professor Licot, how good of you to call me back.”
“I have a full day today, but I thought we needed to talk. My first lecture starts at 10.30am. I could stop at your hotel for a chat before I continue to the academy.”
“Give me half an hour. I’ll be ready by then.”
Nancy returned to the living area. Breakfast had been arranged tastefully on the table … French pastries, exotic fruit salad and a pot of excellent Keemun tea. She poured a cup and moved to the large window overlooking the bay.
The water of the Bay had assumed its daytime colours, an attractive green with splashes of light blue weaving in and out of it. The ferries had started their regular journey between the various islands and the mainland, leaving behind them a white trace of foam. Nancy recalled that Hong Kong territory covered eighteen districts, nine in the new territories; Kowloon had five and Hong Kong island four.
The boat is small. It reeks of fish. She and her friend have been holding their noses with their thumb and first finger. It’s yet another game. Their mothers have told them to be quiet in a tone of voice they have not heard before.
They stop pulling silly faces and huddle together at the back of the skiff.
The fisherman who agreed to take them across asks for more money just as they are about to board. Children are not welcome on this passage to freedom. They don’t always keep quiet when asked to …
Nancy’s father is bargaining, telling the man that the two little girls are well behaved and will be as good as gold. But gold is exactly what the fisherman needs. She can see a strange light in his eyes … she doesn’t know what it means but it scares her. She huddles her friend even closer.
The fisherman says something to her father she can’t hear and he shouts, “Never.” The old man shrugs. He needs the money right now if the girls are to cross with the adults.
Nancy’s father moves to where his wife is sitting. Nancy doesn’t understand that the cost will mean parting with almost all they have left. Her mother hands over a wad of green bills. Nancy has never seen these before.
The boat leaves the small creek after her father and his friends have changed into old clothes. They resemble smugglers. The two little girls would like to make fun of them but their fathers’ faces are too sombre to invite a tease.
The sun has gone up. The wind is helping the boat out onto the sea. Nancy is excited. She’s never been on a boat trip before.
The telephone ringing made her jump. Images of a past long gone, that for a moment felt so close, vanished. The hotel manager was on the phone making sure she was happy with her new room.
She was of course delighted, she reassured her. And she hoped calling the police last night had not caused too many problems. The woman sighed. They were coming back today to investigate further.
* * *
The US consulate on Garden Road was not yet open. He rang the Consul’s mobile with little success. Randy had slept without interruption. Jack had not been so successful. He had improvised a bed on the floor of the bedroom’s small corridor. But despite the thickness of the carpet, sleeping on the ground was no longer what he was used to. Jack showered quickly and checked Randy was still asleep.
The email he had drafted in the middle of the night, when he had woken, had not been sent yet. He read it again with a fresher head and changed a few details. As noiselessly as he could, he made himself a cup of coffee, gave the message a final read, and pressed the send button.
Hunter was almost certainly in one of his end-of-day debriefs, which gave Jack a couple of hours’ reprieve.
Jack’s phone buzzed as he settled against the wall of the corridor. He moved to the bathroom to take the call.
“Where are you?” Hunter’s voice revealed nothing.
“Still at the Mandarin Oriental.”
“Is that guy Randy with you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
&n
bsp; “American citizen from what I gather.”
Jack took a few seconds. Hunter had done his homework. “That’s correct, Sir.”
“Get him to the consulate … I sent a request for extraction.”
“Thank you, Sir. The story is starting to make sense …”
“Perhaps.” Hunter cut him short. “But Viro-Tech remains a private company. It has its headquarters in the UK; it has some American, British and Asian investors, so unless they come to offer their services to the US government, there is little we can do.” Hunter had done his homework.
“I’m sure MI6 will be ready to help.”
“Yet again, this is an independent British company. The UK government may take an interest in their research, but I think the Brits at the moment are more interested in drumming up tech business to rival Silicon Valley than in digging into the business of a private company.”
There was little Jack could add to that.
“Look Jack, I will take care of Randy Zhang. He is still in danger, so I will make sure he returns to the US safely. But nothing has changed. I need something that is actionable, here, in the US …”
Jack leaned against the bathroom sink, shaking his head. “Does it have something to do with the agreement between the Chinese and the US, where they are trying to come to terms about medical research and co-operation? Turner Junior is meant to broker the agreement, so I understand that he may be off limits because of that … at least for the time being.”
Hunter’s silence lasted for a long moment. “I’m not going to ask you where you got that information from …”
“Does it matter anyway, Sir? If it’s true, let me work behind the scenes until we can properly assess how valid Ollie Wilson and Randy Zhang’s claims are. We can’t keep allowing a private company to transfer technology to China, simply to do business there.”
“I too have read the McCain report.” Hunter surprised Jack. “It’s a delicate balance at the moment. The Obama administration is aware of the issue and prepared to take action, but we need China’s co-operation when it comes to epidemic containment.”
“I could debrief my contact at MI6.”
“It won’t make any difference. The Brits and the Europeans need this deal to go through as much as we do. Bill Gates has done a good job on making governments aware of the need to protect against a new pandemic. For once, everyone seems to be in agreement. You still have 48 hours … actually 36 hours, to find something compelling against Viro-Tech. Otherwise, I want you home.”
The phone went dead. “Shit … that can’t be right.”
“What’s that?” Randy had woken up and stood, looking dishevelled, at the door of the bathroom.
“Some mixed up flight details.” Jack managed to smile to Randy. “But the good news is … the US consulate is sending you home under protection.”
* * *
“Let’s take a little stroll,” Professor Licot suggested with an amiable smile. Nancy looked taken aback. But, of course, the Mandarin Oriental was too obvious a place for a discreet conversation.
They left the hotel by descending a few steps to arrive at street level. Licot led the way, making idle conversation about the next lecture he was about to give, and the growing interest in contemporary art in Hong Kong.
They walked one block, arriving at a flight of stairs with access to the hanging corridors Hong Kong was famous for. When monsoon struck, these were used regularly by residents to avoid the street, where they could be swept away by torrential rain in an instant.
Nancy recalled one of those occasions. It had been terrifying to see the water lashing at her windows and the rain filling up the streets to almost waist level.
Licot courteously moved aside to let her climb the staircase ahead of him. She stopped at the top. Licot indicated they should turn left and they followed the network of corridors which connected above the road system.
She had no idea where she was and for a short moment wondered whether she should follow Licot so readily. He must have sensed her unease.
“We’re almost there. It’s much more pleasant to take the corridors, and more discreet too.”
“I’m not sure I would be able to tell if someone was trailing me. The corridors are still very busy.”
“But I would.” Professor Licot smiled.
Nancy raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Licot stepped ahead as they exited to rejoin ground level. They arrived in a part of Hong Kong that looked modern. Tall buildings that were, however, no match for the skyscrapers rising to over 20 or 30 floors in the most recently built areas.
“It’s the part of Hong Kong that was built in the early 60s. It looked fancy then but things have changed dramatically.”
The streets were much narrower. The square façades of the buildings constructed from large concrete blocks had been rendered rapidly. Some had been freshly painted in light blue or green colours. Others had their external render peeling off.
Nancy noted the name of the street, Stratton Street. That turned into a small lane, the stones of its walls green with moss and the paving slippery from the lack of sun.
Professor Licot entered a small tea shop. He walked straight through the crowd of regular customers minding their own business. He turned into a small private room at the back.
“Here we are. We’ll be safe to have our chat here.”
Licot took a seat at the table large enough for eight. Nancy sat opposite. Tea materialised within a few minutes.
“If you like Chinese tea, this in my opinion is the best … aged pu-erh tea.”
“Aged for 27 years …” Nancy grinned. “I haven’t had this for a very long time.”
Professor Licot waited a moment, poured some tea into his cup and raised it to his nose. “Perfect …”
He poured Nancy a cup. “I’m sorry I couldn’t speak in front of Philippe yesterday.”
“Don’t apologise.” Nancy took her cup in both hands to warm her fingers. “I don’t want him to be involved in something that is becoming … well … more dangerous by the minute, it seems.”
Licot nodded. “It’s dangerous for many parties.” He drank some tea, grunted in approval, and continued.
“I must repeat that I don’t know what happened to your father when he went back to China. The artists I knew told me they lost touch with him very suddenly.”
“But I presume you know more about the circumstances of his return.” Nancy took a sip as well. She closed her eyes … the tea was deliciously aromatic and smooth.
“The answers you are looking for are no longer in Hong Kong.” Licot hesitated. “You’ll have to go to mainland China to find them.”
Nancy put down her cup slowly. She had been expecting as much, but now that Licot had told her, the old enemy had reappeared … fighting the dragon once more.
“What is your involvement in all this, Professor Licot? I need to know a little more from you, if you don’t mind, before I contemplate embarking on a trip back to a country I left …” She was looking for the right word. “Left the way no-one should ever have to leave the country where they were born.”
“That’s fair, which is why we are here.” Licot had almost finished his cup. He topped up Nancy’s cup before helping himself to more tea. “Hong Kong has long been a place of transit for people who seek to escape the mainland … It was very much so while it remained a British colony, of course, but the transfer of Hong Kong to China has made things more complicated.”
“Hong Kong has a special status though …”
“Exactly, and we are using this to help people reach freedom if they are threatened in mainland China.”
Nancy pulled back a little, seeing Licot with a fresh eye. “Are you telling me you’re part of a network that smuggles people to the free world?”
Licot smiled. “Who would suspect a boring middle-aged Professor
of Contemporary Art? Academics have sometimes a bad reputation for supporting liberal views, but the days of the Cultural Revolution are long gone and I don’t profess radical ideas.”
“I presume your network straddles mainland China and Hong Kong?”
“That’s right, but I would rather not discuss the details.”
“How long has the network existed?”
“Over 20 years …”
“Did my father use the network to get out of Hong Kong? Is that how you knew him?”
“I think you’re slightly mistaking the nature of his involvement. He created that network. He knew what it took to make that journey. He had done it twice already.”
Nancy bit her lips She stood up slowly and walked over to the window that overlooked a small courtyard. She wished she was in the middle of nowhere, so that she could scream.
Licot waited patiently until she had managed to quell her emotions.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be … it’s a lot to take in after so many years.”
“Where in China must I go?”
“Chengdu, Sichuan province.”
* * *
“The content of my USB keys should help you, but it won’t be enough.” Randy was sitting in yet another bedroom. This time within the US consulate compound. Jack looked at the devices. He’d made a copy that he handed over to Randy.
“What would I find in there?”
“All the research that I did on the project that Ollie and I worked on. It’s enough to give you the details of how far I went in the mapping of the viruses we were studying. How they invade the human body, and how to trigger the human immune system against them.”
“Enough to convince the military that it can be used for bio-attacks or super soldier creation?”
“Not quite. The work that covered that aspect was researched by Ollie, which is the reason why he wanted to talk to you.”
Jack couldn’t disguise his irritation.
“Apologies … Viro-Tech splits our work and controls our ability to exchange information … at least when it comes to controversial research. It’s not always helpful but they are trying to protect the technology, or at least that was the reason given to us.”
BLOOD DRAGON Page 38