A slight breeze swept across her face. The sound of the cicadas, tree frogs and crickets reminded her of home. Her parents were farmers, and she had wanted to become a veterinarian, but the Party thought otherwise. Her parents had been told that she was far too intelligent to be wasted on animals. That led her to medical school, which led her to the army, and now to this farm in North Carolina.
She stopped halfway to the barn, and breathed deeply.
"That scent, what is that?" she asked herself, as she closed her eyes and focused on the scent.
She relaxed her mind, wanting desperately to be anywhere else.
"It's honeysuckle. It grows here as a vine. The fence line on the west side of the property is covered with it. The wind direction just changed," Jian said, while walking closer to Lingli in the dark.
"How did you know . . ." she began, startled that she had not heard him approach.
"I saw you leave the porch. You were backlit by the light in the kitchen. You left it on. You've been out here for over five minutes. I was wondering if you had fallen asleep standing up," Jian said, as he walked closer, stood beside Lingli, and stared up at the stars.
"I was lost in the scent. I couldn't sleep, too noisy in the house," Lingli said.
"Most of it is Yunru. If Chonglin was here it would be worse, like two competing male bullfrogs. You might try sleeping in your clinic," Jian said.
"That's where I was headed. Where do we stand with the planning? I've been so busy with the clinic that I haven't asked about it," Lingli said.
"The security guard was reluctant to cooperate at first, but with his wife and children as leverage, he had little choice. What man would willingly sacrifice his family?" Jian asked.
Lingli said nothing, but turned away, taking in the sweet scent once more.
"I have read that the locals make a sweet wine from the flower petals," Jian said.
"If it's as sweet as the scent, then it must be very sweet indeed," Lingli said.
"Doctor, sometimes I sense that you don't approve of what we're doing here," Jian said.
The tone in his voice registered as a warning in Lingli's mind. She knew that the friendly conversation had the potential for an unfortunate ending.
"Sergeant Major First Class Wang, I am here as support cadre for this mission. Neither my opinion, nor my feelings, have any relevance in these matters," Lingli said, while snapping to attention.
"Relax Doctor, you aren't a trainee in the Female Special Operations Company anymore. I'm just asking your opinion," Jian said.
"Sergeant Major, my duty is to obey the orders of my superiors, not to question them or have an opinion about their decisions," Lingli said, still standing at attention, her eyes straight ahead.
"Is that all you are Doctor, just another automaton produced by the PLA to run into machine gun fire while faithfully singing 'The Sword March'? I'm disappointed. Good night, Doctor," Jian said, while turning away and heading back to the barn.
Lingli stood at attention until she heard the barn door slam shut.
"Jian, I wanted to tell you how I really felt, but I was too afraid. China nurtures obedience, not freedom of expression. Tiananmen Square taught us that opinions, spoken openly, are dangerous. You would not have asked my opinion unless others had questioned my loyalty. I'll have to be very careful in the future," Lingli thought, while remembering other moments of carelessness.
She turned back toward the porch, having decided that the swing looked more comfortable than the clinic in the barn.
The Barn
2nd Floor
2340 hours EST
Jian stood staring at the mosaic of the satellite photos of the Harris Nuclear Plant. The loft in this barn didn't have a pool table, so the map was pinned to one of the side walls. Notes had been written in Chinese on the map and in the margins. Each bit of information that the security guard provided was forwarded to Jian for analysis. The plan was slowly evolving as more questions were answered, but for every question answered, two more arose.
"Damn, before 9/11 this would have been easy. According to Sergeant Davies, the guards were old and fat. They only carried a revolver and had no body armor. If they were veterans, it was from Vietnam or Korea. The fences were thin, no guard towers, most of the cameras were broken or pointed the wrong way. They couldn't have protected a shopping mall. Now it's different, very different. All of the guards are military veterans, most are combat veterans. They are motivated to protect the plant. The defense of the plant is in great depth. Assets from outside organizations can be there in an hour. A battalion from Fort Bragg can be there in four," Jian said, while sitting in a wooden chair five feet from the map.
"Aiguo wants to assault the place, but that's impossible. There are cameras and motion sensors all over the perimeter. Double fences, 12 feet high, topped with razor wire. The area between the fences filled with more razor wire. Guard towers on the perimeter would have to be taken out with rockets or their fields of fire would shatter any perimeter assault. If the perimeter towers are destroyed, then internal guard towers still cover the main avenues of approach to the main power block. That's what they're really protecting. A dozen guards patrol the plant site with loaded automatic weapons. They carry an additional four magazines. Weapons lockers are stored throughout the plant, so additional ammunition and weapons are available during an attack on the site. Armored shields with firing ports are placed all over the plant site. A single guard could hold off a dozen men for an hour. It would take a thousand men to take this place, and by the time you did, the 82nd Airborne would be all over you," Jian said, while closing his eyes and rubbing his hands together.
"No, a direct assault is impossible. We don't even have enough men for a diversionary attack. Somehow we must appear amongst them. They can never see us coming, until it's too late. As Sun Tzu said, 'Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.'" Jian said, as a different plan began to form in his mind.
CHAPTER 26
3400 Avent Ferry Road
New Hill, North Carolina
July 26, 2017
1015 hours EST
Dorothy Davies sat alone at the small, round table beside her kitchen. The girls were playing quietly in their room. Her husband was asleep in their bedroom. One guard, the one who had broken her finger, sat in a chair outside the bedroom, his automatic weapon draped across his lap. He watched her, and her sleeping husband.
"I need to go to the grocery store. We're running out of food," she said, startled at her raspy voice.
The man turned his head and stared at her, saying nothing.
"I said, we're running out of food," she repeated, in a louder voice.
The man yelled something in Chinese, and their leader appeared. Aiguo walked in from the living room where he had been reviewing the previous day's information provided by Sergeant Davies.
"Mrs. Davies, what do you want?" Aiguo asked, while walking over to the kitchen counter where he refilled his coffee mug.
"I told your man that we're running out of food. I need to go to the store," Dorothy said.
Aiguo stared at her, then walked over to the small pantry and opened the folding wooden doors. He turned and took a seat beside her at the table.
"She reeks of fear. If I let her go alone, would she tell someone?" Aiguo asked himself, while staring at the woman. She would not look him in the eyes.
"Mrs. Davies, we have the same agreement with you that we have with your husband. If you cooperate with us, then you will survive this. We will leave you alone, and you will restart your lives together after we leave. Your daughters will grow up and go to school. One day you will see them happily married. They will bless you with grandchildren. You and your husband will grow old together. But if I let you go shopping, and you tell anyone or you drop a note, or just burst into tears and someone becomes suspicious, then none of this will happen. Your daughters will not grow up and go to school, get married, or have children of their
own. They will be dead, and you will be responsible for their deaths. Do you understand?" Aiguo said in a soft voice, as if they were conspiring together.
Dorothy turned to face him. Aiguo could see the hatred and the fear on her face. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. Her hair was disheveled, no makeup on her face.
"Good! You understand. First, you must become more presentable. No sane woman in China or the United States wants to be seen in public without looking her best. You need to make a shopping list, shower, get dressed, and say goodbye to your daughters. This is your test, Mrs. Davies, like the first time your husband went back to work. I'm sure you will pass this first test, and please, buy some green tea . . . in bags, not in a bottle," Aiguo said, and smiled.
Dorothy stared at him, grasping both hands together to keep from shaking. The she nodded, stood up, and headed for the pantry. She had a list to make.
CHAPTER 27
Harris Teeter
324 Village Walk Drive
Holly Springs, North Carolina
July 26, 2017
1158 hours EST
Dorothy had left the house in a daze. She had hugged her children goodbye, knowing that if she made a mistake she might never see them alive again. They had burst into tears, run to their father, and woken him from a deep sleep. She had explained to him what was going on. He had only nodded, comforting his weeping children. Both girls climbed into bed with him.
Now she sat in the parking lot at the Harris Teeter. She glanced around at other people going about their normal lives, shopping, talking, and yelling at their children to watch for cars in the crowded parking lot. She longed for that normalcy.
She lowered the visor and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying. She removed a pair of dark sunglasses from her purse, put them on, and checked herself in the mirror again. Glancing at the bandage on her left pinkie, she opened the door of her car and stepped outside. The summer heat and humidity were stifling. She glanced up at the sky.
"There will be thunderstorms this afternoon," she said, while closing and locking the car door.
"Calm down, you can do this. Just follow the list, pay for everything, and go back home," she thought, as she crossed onto the sidewalk and headed for the entrance.
"Dorothy, hello, I thought Tuesday was your shopping day, and where are the girls?" said Camila Ortiz, as she walked up to Dorothy and hugged her.
"Oh, hi Camila . . . I was delayed a day. The girls are both sick," Dorothy replied. The last thing she wanted to do was meet someone from church.
"Oh, I hope it's nothing serious," Camila said, as both women headed into the store and pulled shopping carts from the stack.
"No, nothing serious, just colds and a mild fever. They're at home with Jonathan. I got out to do some shopping," Dorothy said.
"Then we can shop together. We missed church service the last two weeks. We were out of town at the beach. You can tell me everything that's been going on," Camila said, as the women headed into the vegetable section of the store.
"Not much, just routine stuff, you know. Jonathan has been on night shift for a while. So we keep it quiet during the day while he's asleep," Dorothy said.
"Don't you get scared living so close to that place? We live on the other side of Holly Springs and that's still too close for me. What if the place blew up?" Camila said.
"Nuclear plants can't blow up. It's not like a nuclear bomb. It's perfectly safe," Dorothy said, repeating the same answer that Jonathan had given her when they had first moved into the area.
"Well, I don't know. I think they need to tear the place down and put up those big wind mills," Camila said, while sampling a green grape.
"Wind turbines, they're called wind turbines," Dorothy mumbled, wishing the chatty woman would just leave her alone.
"I think I'm going to head over to the pharmacy. I need to ask them some questions," Dorothy said, while turning away from Camila.
"Well, okay, I'll see you in a while," Camila said.
Camila was one of her best friends, and Dorothy was afraid that she would start to weep if she stayed and talked to her. She knew that once she started crying again she wouldn't be able to stop. It would all come out, and she would be responsible for the death of her daughters.
As she neared the pharmacy, she saw an ad posted by the front counter. It was an old sign from March saying, "National Poison Prevention Week". She could feel her heart begin pounding in her chest as a plan began to form in her mind.
"What if I poisoned them?" she asked herself, then blushed and looked around when she realized that she had said it out loud.
CHAPTER 28
The White House
The Oval Office
Washington, DC, USA
July 30, 2017
2000 hours EST
President Konrad Miller sat behind the massive, ornate Resolute Desk, a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria. Created in 1880, the gift had been made from English oak timbers from the Artic exploration vessel, the HMS Resolute. The President was feeling older than the desk.
"I know, Clarisse, you still think that this is a mistake, but the decision is mine. All the decisions have been mine. That's the way this job works. As the saying goes, 'The buck stops here'," the President said, while rapping the desk top with his knuckles.
"Mr. President, my concerns are not about the reactions of the American people, the media, or the world. I'm afraid we'll drive these men into action," Clarisse said.
"Well, they've had the upper hand so far. They have the weapon, and we can't find them. We've been fighting with one hand tied behind our back. That ends now. The American people have a vested interest in this situation. The American people can't disappear into a secure bunker if this weapon is detonated. We have to find these men. We have to find this weapon," the President said, while being cued with a hand wave.
"It's time, Mr. President. We go live in 10 seconds," the White House Communications Director said, while verifying the starting point of the teleprompter.
"Mr. President! 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .
"My fellow Americans, I am addressing you tonight from the Oval Office with information that will shock most of you. In 1992, a general in the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China initiated a plan to smuggle nuclear weapons into the United States of America. He continued in this endeavor over many administrations, both Democratic and Republican. As of this year, 50 nuclear warheads had been placed within our nation in an attempt to blackmail us into surrendering any influence in the western Pacific and Asia. If we refused, the presence of these weapons was going to be leaked to the global media in an effort to create panic and chaos within the borders of the United States of America," President Konrad said, pausing to allow the impact of his words to sink in.
"This heinous attempt at blackmail and intimidation was thwarted due to the gallant efforts of various Federal agencies that discovered this plot and were able to determine the location of these devices. Of the 50 devices smuggled into our country, only one remains undiscovered. I have reluctantly withheld the information of this plot from you, and most of your elected officials, for security reasons. The panic and dismay that you are feeling at this moment would have been magnified many times over if I had gone public with this information when it first became known. The reason I am going public now . . . is that your country needs your help. I need the help of every American citizen in finding this last threat to our Homeland," the President said, pausing once again.
"This last nuclear device is believed to be located somewhere within the southeastern United States. The device is approximately three times the size of the weapon detonated above Hiroshima during World War 2. The individuals who control this device are agents of the late General Kung Yusheng. This plot was enacted without the permission or backing of the People's Republic of China. Their leadership has cooperated with the United States in bringing to an end this great th
reat to world peace. They are to be commended for this effort. But I need your help, the help of every citizen of this great nation, in bringing this threat to an end. We are looking for a dozen men, members of the Siberian Tigers Special Forces Unit (a dozen images appeared, provided by the Chinese government). They all have a distinctive tattoo on their upper right arm," the President said, as the Siberian Tigers logo appeared on a screen behind him, above the images of the men.
"These men are present in our country, and are assumed to be in possession of this last nuclear device. Their leader is Gong Aiguo (one picture was highlighted). He is responsible for multiple murders in Alexandria, Virginia. All of these men are highly trained, heavily armed, and extremely dangerous. One of these men has left a 'calling card' everywhere that we have been able to track him. He carves this Chinese character onto a surface," the President said, as the character for 'Tiger' was displayed on the screen for all to see.
"This is not intended to be a witch hunt of loyal Chinese-Americans. The last thing we need is indiscriminant persecution of innocent individuals. This is a nation of acceptance and inclusion. Look for this symbol. Look for suspicious actions by individuals fitting the descriptions given. Take no actions on your own. If you see something, if you suspect something, notify your local law enforcement agencies," the President said.
"My fellow Americans, we have stood together in the past against threats to our national survival. I ask you to stand together once more. Together, we will survive this trial and emerge a stronger nation, a stronger people, unified in our belief that all people have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, free from the intimidation of outside forces. May God Bless you and may God bless these United States of America."
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