by Bobby Akart
“I yield the floor to the ranking member for two minutes.”
When he was done, he realized that Harper’s reputation was on the line. As much as he wanted her to stay home and discard this notion of an undercover investigation on Mainland China, he realized that if she was successful, her reputation would be repaired. He didn’t care what the California congressman said; he’d heard it all before.
Joe swung around in his chair to ask his aide to check in with Spangler. Instead, he was greeted with a smile and a thumbs-up from his chief of staff. Harper was one step closer to a long flight to Beijing.
Chapter Nineteen
CDC Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia
“Dr. Randolph, even if we were to sign off on this ridiculously risky suggestion of yours, there are people way above our pay grade who’d need to review this from all angles. That takes time.”
“We don’t have time!” Harper shot back.
The scheduled meeting with the two CIA agents was contentious from the start. Harper didn’t make matters any easier by calling the men out for changing their names.
Apparently, you’ve forgotten you’re from East St. Louis, she’d said. She issued a reminder. Belleville and O’Fallon, if I recall.
The two agents had introduced themselves to Dr. Reitherman’s secretary as Agents Aiken and Williston. Harper immediately recognized the names as towns just east of Augusta, Georgia, where she and her grandmother used to shop for clothes when she was growing up.
That started the meeting off on an awkward footing. Ignoring the purpose of the agents’ visit, Harper set the agenda with her request of assistance to investigate the disease in China. The blindside resulted in the somewhat hostile atmosphere.
The shorter agent, who’d been a twinge more friendly on their first encounter, tried to strike a conciliatory tone.
“Dr. Randolph, we want to cooperate with you, just as you have with us,” he began, holding up a thick file folder of data on the four Chinese men who were the first to succumb to the mysterious virus. “You have to understand something. China is second only to North Korea in their determination to control every living human being on their soil. Certainly, there are more brutal regimes, but none are as technologically sophisticated as the Chinese. Establishing a dossier for you takes time. Then it takes even more time for us to plant the data in the Chinese surveillance system.”
“How long?” asked Harper.
“For what you’re suggesting? Weeks, with a caveat. If you plan on having direct interaction with any Chinese government officials, whether intentionally with their CDC, or unintentionally, with the PLA or PAP, you’ll be exposed.” PLA was an acronym for People’s Liberation Army, while PAP stood for People’s Armed Police—both undeniable oxymorons in China. They were anything but for the people.
“Excuse me a moment,” said Dr. Reitherman abruptly. He darted out of his office, leaving Harper alone with the two CIA gentlemen. The change in dynamic gave Harper an opportunity to restart their conversation.
“Guys, listen. I have the utmost respect for what you’re saying, and I apologize for my attitude earlier. There are no excuses, but we’re under a lot of pressure here. Everyone in this building and throughout the CDC is hell-bent on defining this disease to avoid another pandemic like in 2020.”
The taller agent, who was the more senior of the two, softened his tone as well. “We understand, Dr. Randolph. I’m not saying that’s not important to us, because it is.”
“We all have a job to do,” added his partner.
The senior agent continued. “Doctor, we are very much aware of who your husband is, and off the record, let me say everyone I work with knows Congressman Mills to be a friend of the agency. We want to lend an assist, but we can’t compromise national security and our own investigation.”
Harper went for it. “Just tell me what concerns you, and maybe I can help.”
“Classified,” said the senior agent.
“It always is,” Harper countered. “Talk around the edges and let me fill in the blanks.”
The two men whispered to one another, and the younger agent took the lead. “We’ll deny everything I’m about to say and make your life miserable if it’s disclosed. That’s a promise, Doctor, regardless of who you are. Understood?”
Harper was taken aback by the man’s demeanor, as he’d been the less forceful of the two agents during their encounters.
“Roger that,” she replied with a smile. Where did that come from? That was so military sounding.
He gave his partner a look and then he explained, “China has one of the most advanced chemical warfare programs in the world. Our intelligence indicates in the decade since the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve expanded their R&D, production and weaponization capabilities. Their current inventory is believed to include the full range of traditional chemical agents, which can be dispersed through a wide variety of delivery systems.”
The other agent interrupted. “Naturally, there are the conventional methods, including artillery rockets, aerial bombs, spray devices, and even short-range ballistic missiles. Our satellite recon has picked up the PLA conducting defensive CW training. Without question, they’ve integrated the biological weapons program into their overall military doctrine.” CW was a reference to chemical warfare.
Harper asked, “Do you think these men were part of that training and something went wrong? Exposure in an accident?”
“Possibly, or worse,” replied the senior agent. “We have reliable information that the Chinese have taken a page out of the ISIS terrorist playbook.”
It didn’t take much for Harper to read between the lines. In 2017, the CDC had engaged in bioterror simulations with the Department of Defense in which terrorists had weaponized the pneumonic plague. In the war-game scenario, the terrorist group had purposefully infected immigrants crossing the U.S. southern border with Mexico in an effort to spread the disease throughout the country. The results of the exercise were not pretty.
“Weaponized humans,” she interjected.
“Yes. Exactly. Our theory, unproven, of course, which is why we’re here, is that these four PLA soldiers were infected during an exercise, accidentally or intentionally. They were allowed to enter the United States as a test of China’s bioweapons capability and a possible human delivery system.”
Harper perked up. This information could lead her closer to patient zero. The men could, in fact, be what she was looking for. There was just one problem. Other cases were springing up around the world wholly unrelated to the travel itinerary of the four soldiers.
“Have you been able to trace their whereabouts prior to their arrival in America?” she asked.
“We’re still working on that.”
“Will you share it with me?”
Before they could answer, Dr. Reitherman returned to the room with three file folders. Harper glanced at the front of one and saw it was marked personnel.
He stood there in silence and opened the first folder. His eyes darted from the contents to Harper’s face and back again several times. Finally, he addressed the group.
“I may have a solution.” He made eye contact with the CIA agents and showed them the contents of the file. The senior agent shrugged and his partner nodded.
“What?” asked Harper, impatient with the intrigue.
Dr. Reitherman handed her the file, and Harper stared at the contents.
“Hello, doppelgänger.”
Chapter Twenty
CDC Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia
“Meet Dr. Eloise Blasingame,” began Dr. Reitherman. He explained for the benefit of the CIA agents. “She was one of a trio of our personnel embedded within the Chinese CDC by agreement with World Health and the American government. They were there in a consulting and training role, but make no mistake, their primary purpose was to report anything unusual back to us.”
“The resemblance is uncanny,” commented the senior agent. “I ca
n see where you’re headed with this. But I have to ask. With all due respect to Dr. Randolph, can’t this person do the investigative work since she’s already there?”
Dr. Reitherman replied, “For one, she and her team were expelled from the Chinese CDC building without explanation. They are currently at the American embassy in Beijing.”
“Kicked out of the country?” asked the other agent.
“No. They’re free to leave the embassy compound without restriction. Well, other than the usual requirements of foreign citizens on Chinese soil.”
The CIA agent was looking for reasons not to take these extraordinary measures. “Sooo she could do the investigation. Am I right?”
Harper was about to speak up, but Dr. Reitherman raised his hand to stop her. “No. Frankly, Dr. Blasingame is more lab rat than disease detective. Because her role required strict confinement to the Beijing facility, we needed somebody of her expertise who enjoyed being tethered to a microscope and a desk.”
“That’s not me,” quipped Harper.
“No kidding,” added Dr. Reitherman with a scowl. “Anyway, my question is whether you guys can expedite this dossier, as you called it, for Harper to assume Dr. Blasingame’s identity.”
He pulled her photograph out of the personnel file and handed it to the senior agent. He held it up to compare the woman’s face to Harper’s.
“Is their build the same?” he asked.
“Close enough, from my recollection. I believe Dr. Randolph might be a little heavier.”
“Hey!” Harper stood a little taller. She’d been eating like crap since her return from Africa. Plus, all the plane travel made her body retain water.
“Relax, Harper. These gentlemen need all the facts.”
The other agent took a turn at studying their faces. “With a ball cap on to shield her face from their never-ending supply of facial-recognition cams, she might be able to pull it off.”
“We could have the docs printed at the embassy where they’d make the switch,” added the senior agent. “The doppelganger, as Dr. Randolph called her, would have to stay confined to the embassy throughout the operation.”
“She’ll understand. Also, we’ve already discussed microchipping Dr. Randolph so your people can track her.”
The senior agent furrowed his brow. “If they’re onto her, their jamming devices will render it useless. This whole operation depends upon her not being exposed. Not easy.”
“Do you have a better option to determine if this is a biological weapon in the most literal sense of the term?”
The senior agent sighed. “No. Not really.”
“Good, let’s get started,” Harper said with a hint of excitement. “What’s the first step?”
“We have to sell our higher-ups on all this. With a little luck, we won’t be reassigned to a desk job in Argentina hunting down wayward Nazis.”
Harper found the statement odd. “Um, wouldn’t they all be dead at this point?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the younger agent replied. “However, their descendants still carry the flag of the Schutzstaffel in their hearts.” The Schutzstaffel was the enforcement arm of the Nazi Party under Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Known as the SS, they were responsible for more war crimes than any other organization in modern history.
Dr. Reitherman made a suggestion. “I’m going to provide you access to the personnel files of these three employees after I gain the proper permissions, of course. Harper, may they have yours as well?”
“Absolutely.”
Dr. Reitherman continued. “Let me mention something else. We’ve discussed this entire scenario with Dr. Randolph’s husband. I believe he might be working on something that would help her during the investigation. May I message him to advise him of your involvement?”
“Yes,” replied the senior agent. “But, respectfully, we’re going to take you out of the loop at this point.”
“Fine by me,” said Dr. Reitherman. “You guys call it plausible deniability. Am I right?”
The senior agent laughed. “Sorry, Doctor. We’re beyond that level of CYA. Actually, it’ll just make things move quicker. Dr. Randolph has convinced me we have a hell-fire emergency on our hands, and we need to act accordingly.”
Harper smiled. “And to think I really disliked you guys a little while ago.”
“The feeling was mutual,” said the senior agent.
Harper continued. “Since we’re now kumbaya and all that, will you tell us your real names now?”
“Nope.”
With that, the CIA set the wheels in motion for Harper’s investigative journey into the People’s Republic of China.
Chapter Twenty-One
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Changping District
Beijing, China
Hua Chunying, the spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stood before the cameras with representatives of the Chinese CDC standing lined up behind her in lab coats. None of the trio had seen a laboratory in many years. They were, in fact, the buffer between the actual scientists at the CDC and the Communist Party leadership.
“Just as before, the brave workers of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have made a valiant effort to identify the disease in Tibet and other isolated parts of our country. The source has been determined to be a diseased yak.
“Once again, through the heroic actions of our scientists, we have bought precious time for stemming the regional spread of this virus. In fact, only a small number of individuals have been infected. Those who’ve died had serious underlying conditions that resulted in their death.
“During the process of caring for these patients, a treatment protocol has been established, and a vaccine has been identified. Further, we have contained the disease at its source, effectively protecting the people who live in these remote and isolated areas.”
She took a deep breath and looked at her notes before staring at the camera.
“Already, as was the case in the past, Western media and politicians have engaged in a shameless and immoral attack on China. Slandering, smearing and blaming cannot help the fight of infectious diseases. This childish behavior only stifles cooperation between our nations. It must stop, and all nations should focus on their own house before they demand to peer into ours.”
The camera and artificial lighting were turned off, and she immediately left the room with notes in hand. This was act one of the Chinese cover-up of the outbreak. As news broke of the deaths of the four men in Las Vegas, all the attention immediately became directed at China because of their nationality. The world feared a repeat of the COVID-19 pandemic. In America, the media, following the lead of President Taylor, immediately sought scapegoats for the disease. Hua’s statement was part of the Beijing government’s global offensive to downplay the outbreak. They would work overtime to push the narrative they had the disease under control and the Las Vegas cases were unrelated, even originating in the States.
Deception had always been central to the Chinese Communist Party’s conduct of international politics, business, and military dealings. Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese general who authored the treatise The Art of War, once wrote—all warfare is based on deception.
China’s deception during the COVID-19 pandemic was the basis for the playbook to be consulted in future outbreaks. First, cover up the outbreak by withholding information on the nature and progression of any new infectious disease. Second, suppress the facts, including the number of infected and the death toll. Third, point the finger of blame elsewhere. In this case, the United States.
It made logical sense. In the minds of the Party leadership, the first reported deaths were in America. The fact that the individuals were Chinese was irrelevant. In fact, they used this as an additional tool of deception by blaming the overworked American healthcare system for the deaths and xenophobia for pointing blame at China.
The media manipulation was highly orchestrated and well thought out. It was designed t
o deflect attention and bide time while their own CDC tried to find answers. Asking for help was out of the question because it would expose them if the disease proliferated.
The trio of representatives retreated to a quiet office and closed the door behind them. Their leader, a longtime member of the Communist Party leadership and highly respected by President Xi Jinping for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, addressed his subordinates.
His baritone, gravelly voice sounded sinister and was a true reflection of the man. “We will fight long and hard to maintain this cover story. However, that is the job for others. We, like all of China, must stay prepared for the tricks from the West. The first step was removing the Americans from our CDC. The next will be to isolate or eliminate the Europeans.”
“Eliminate, sir?” asked the female subordinate.
He frowned. “Not in the sense that you ask. We will be cooperative and open with the Europeans. But we will take them in a direction far away from Tibet.”
“Liaoning?” asked his other subordinate.
“No, fool!” their leader growled. “There are no yaks in Liaoning!”
“Yes, I am sorry, sir,” he sheepishly apologized.
Their superior continued. “Our people will claim to have discovered a new outbreak in another part of China. We will assemble a team to escort the Europeans to the Great Khinogan Mountains in the northernmost region of Inner Mongolia. There, they will spend many weeks in search of diseased yaks.”
The female subordinate managed a smile. “I know this region. There is no communications capability in the mountains. And, sir, very few yaks, I might add.”
“That is true, but enough to make it believable. We must appear to be cooperative to the Westerners. This is an important step.”