Despite arriving in Africa by private jet and his entourage attending to his every need, the journey from Shanghai to Goma had been long and exhausting for him. He did not like damp climates, nor heat, and the Congo was plagued by both. But Xie’s message had been emphatic. He must come in person. It seemed that the General was barely in control of himself or the situation, and already he had exceeded his express orders by transferring $2 billion to that local thug Mordecai. And now, after all that, he was insisting on more.
The cars turned off into the mansion’s long driveway and slowly pulled to a halt around an old fountain, long since defunct. Standing at the door were four black servants, each dressed in immaculate white uniform, and to one side of them stood Xie. Even in the poor light his modest demeanour was unmistakable. As the car doors opened, he shuffled forward to greet them.
‘I am honoured that you should come,’ Xie said, bowing low.
Kai’s eyes were magnified by his thick-lensed glasses. As he moved forward and into the light, the sagging folds of his skin became visible. The deep lines across his forehead were fixed in a permanent scowl. He made vague tutting noises as the doctor eased him into his wheelchair and tucked a blanket tight across his bone-thin legs. Kai waited, fingers drumming impatiently on the sides of the chair, before his head suddenly snapped round.
‘I am extremely displeased to find this situation so out of control,’ he said, his voice rasping in the still night air. ‘Take me to the General at once.’
Xie bowed again, this time lower, as Kai was pushed through the massive front doorway and into the house. The plain-clothes PLA Special Forces walked either side of him, looking lithe and athletic, and shortening their stride to keep step with Kai’s trundling wheelchair. The lead soldier was the Squad Commander and he strode ahead, eyes passing rapidly over the outlines of furniture and doorways lining the dimly lit corridor. Reaching the far end, he was the first to step out on to the veranda. General Jian was standing to one side of it, his arms folded across his chest.
‘I am honoured,’ he said flatly, giving a perfunctory bow as Kai was wheeled forward.
‘Why have you brought me here?’ the old man said, with a sharp jab of his finger.
‘You’re mistaken. It wasn’t I who requested that you come,’ Jian replied, turning his gaze towards Xie.
‘No, but it is your actions that demanded I did!’ Kai spat, his frail old body lurching forward in the wheelchair. Jerking his head to one side, he pulled some extra slack for the oxygen tube before speaking once again. ‘Tell me, General, on whose authority did you transfer the entire balance for the mine? A decision of that magnitude is made by the Guild’s committee, not on some unilateral whim.’
‘We had no time …’
‘Don’t interrupt! You transfer double the agreed sum and then have the audacity to ask for more?’
Jian didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked at the eight bodyguards flanking Kai and wondered why there were so many. Was it simply because the Head of the Guild was travelling to a place as inherently dangerous as the Congo, or were they here for another purpose entirely? Perhaps they thought the poison wasn’t working fast enough and were here to expedite the process?
Jian slowly switched his gaze back to Kai.
‘I have successfully launched the new network and now, in one fell swoop, have legitimised all our mining interests in the Congo.’ A tense smile appeared on his lips. ‘I would have thought that a matter for congratulation, not recrimination.’
Kai tried to speak, but Jian continued, ‘And while I am sure your underling has whispered all sorts of dark stories into your ear, you should understand what an extraordinary deal this is. From this point on, all our mining interests here are protected.’
In the silence, they could hear the slow wheeze of Kai’s breath through the oxygen tube.
‘We shall see,’ he said.
As Kai gestured that he wanted to be brought closer to the table, the Squad Commander standing just to his right stepped forward. He was staring past Jian and out towards the lake, squinting into the darkness. There was the faint sound of rotors, barely audible at first, but as they all listened, the noise became clearer. Kai turned from one person to the next, confused.
‘What is it?’ he asked. ‘What are you all doing?’
‘Helicopter, sir,’ said the Commander. ‘We are near the airport, but even so I’d advise moving back inside.’
As he spoke, the sound of the rotors grew louder and soon they could see the helicopter’s landing light flashing white in the night sky. It was coming in low over the lake and heading straight for them. The bodyguards drew closer to Kai, stepping in front of him while they waited for the helicopter to pass overhead, but as it started to slow and pulled up in a hover, they reached for their pistols and pulled him back towards the shelter of the corridor.
‘General, are you expecting company?’ the Commander shouted.
Jian shook his head, but as he stared at the bulbous shape of the helicopter hovering over the lawn, he recognised it as one of the Oryx he had used on the visit to the mine.
‘Wait,’ he ordered, raising a hand in the air. ‘This is one of the delivery helicopters.’
It touched down, and a few seconds later three figures clambered from the cabin. They walked across the lawn and up to the edge of the veranda. Upon seeing the PLA soldiers, they all raised their hands in the air. Jian saw that there was a woman and two men, and all of them were absolutely filthy. Both men were coated in thick black mud, one of them looking so thin that it seemed as if he were going to collapse at any moment.
‘Who are you?’ Jian shouted in English.
‘We’re from the mine,’ Luca replied. ‘From Mordecai’s mine in the forest.’
Jian looked from one person to the next, his eyes finally settling on the woman. She was tall, with matted hair and filthy clothes. And she was staring at him with smouldering animosity.
‘You’re messengers from Mordecai?’ Jian asked incredulously.
‘No, we escaped from the mine. We’re here to speak to the people buying the fire coltan. A Chinese general was here, at this house, a few days back. You’re him, right?’
Jian said nothing.
‘Yeah, you’re him,’ Luca said, taking in Jian’s sharp, military haircut and stiff demeanour. ‘We’ve come to tell you that Mordecai’s betrayed you. That he’s betrayed everyone.’
Jian could feel his mouth go dry and a cold sweat start to prickle across the small of his back.
‘The mine’s empty,’ Luca continued. ‘Mordecai sealed the whole thing off and tried to kill everyone inside.’
‘That’s a lie!’ Jian roared, turning his head back to look at Kai. ‘I was at the mine two days ago and collected an entire shipment.’
Joshua stepped forward. ‘That shipment was scraped together from the very last bits of coltan. Trust me, I know. I was one of the miners who dug it out.’
Jian started shaking his head. He could feel his pulse quickening, sending sharp stabs of pain through his temples. ‘I don’t know why you’re here …’ he began, but Joshua stepped closer, causing a ripple of movement among the bodyguards.
‘There’s more to this than the mine,’ he said, eyes directed towards the old Chinese man in the wheelchair, who was listening attentively. ‘You need to know something about the fire coltan you’ve been buying. It reacts with heat, becoming a deadly carcinogen as soon as it gets hot.’
Jian stared at him in confusion. ‘What is carsin-gen?’
‘Carcinogen. It means cancer!’ Joshua shouted. ‘As soon as the coltan warms up, it kills you with a virulent brain tumour. It’s been happening to all the miners there. Hundreds have already died!’
Jian stared at him, frozen in horror as the seconds passed. Then something clicked and he started clawing at his own throat, his body doubling over, fingers raking across his neck and chest. Everyone stared at him in shock, backing away as if he had suddenly become possessed, while Jian continu
ed to writhe from side to side, ripping his shirt open with both hands. Finally, he got hold of the leather necklace and forced his fingers violently underneath. It broke with a single jerk of his hand and he flung it across the tiles of the veranda. It skidded to a halt about twenty feet away while Jian remained doubled over, eyes locked on the deadly gift.
Between the open folds of his shirt, Joshua could see the black swelling running around the Chinese man’s neck and shoulders. He had seen the same marks many times before on the miners he had tried to treat, and knew that from this stage on the cancer would rapidly advance. In just under a week, it would spread up to the side of the man’s head, doubling in size every couple of days. The tumour would pressurise the brain, squeezing it against the bone of the man’s skull with maddening intensity, until finally it would kill him.
As Jian slowly straightened, pulling his shirt back across his chest, Joshua’s expression changed to one of pity. At best, this man had only a fortnight left to live.
‘You get headaches?’ he asked. Jian nodded, his expression slowly draining of all animosity. There was only bewilderment there as he struggled to believe it could be true.
‘What does this mean?’ he asked. ‘What is happening to me?’
Joshua moved closer. ‘You need medical help right now. But you’ve got to understand that it’s far gone. The tumour is visible from the outside and that means …’ He paused. ‘It means that you don’t have much time left.’
Jian’s fingers moved up to his neck, scratching at the flaky skin. He had already rubbed it clean off the lump beneath and now a thin trickle of blood seeped out, staining his fingertips. He was shaking his head slowly, eyes looking from one person to the next as his breathing started to quicken. He stumbled towards the corridor.
‘I need to get out of here,’ he mumbled. ‘I need to get out.’
But before he could leave, Kai signalled to his bodyguards. They quickly closed ranks in front of Jian, blocking the way.
‘What are you doing?’ he said, his voice rising in panic. ‘Let me out of here! I need to get some help!’
‘You were responsible for all of this,’ Kai said in Mandarin, his dry voice cutting off Jian’s pleas. ‘You can wait. Take him back to his room and ensure he stays.’
‘No! Don’t do this,’ Jian screamed, turning back from the wall of bodyguards and facing Kai. ‘Please. I’ve got to get out of here! You heard what the Westerner said. I don’t have much time.’
For a moment, Kai didn’t respond. Then he gave a slow nod of his head and four of his bodyguards reached forward, grabbing Jian under his arms.
‘We will deal with you later,’ he whispered.
‘We can make a deal,’ Jian shouted, as the bodyguards dragged him back to the corridor. ‘Just let me see a doctor!’
The sound of his protests faded. Kai’s gaze moved from Luca to Bear before settling on Joshua.
‘You need to get that man to a hospital,’ Joshua told him. ‘I’ve seen this before and he doesn’t have much time.’
Kai waved away his advice.
‘We will deal with our own,’ he said in English, with only the slightest hint of an accent. ‘This carcinogen … you said it is triggered by heat. How much heat is required before you see these effects?’
Joshua shrugged. ‘We don’t know exactly, but it definitely gets worse the hotter it is. As you can see, even a small amount of the really pure stuff can be deadly when it’s warmed by body heat.’
Bear stepped forward. ‘You’re using this for electronics, right?’ she asked. ‘Some kind of communications device or computer?’
Kai nodded, seeing no reason to conceal the fact.
‘All those kinds of things produce heat; usually lots of it. Laptops have to run fans to keep their components cool, and with a mobile all you have to do is press it to your ear to feel the heat coming off it.’
‘But are you sure it’s enough heat to cause physical damage?’ Kai asked.
‘No, we’re not sure at all,’ Bear replied. ‘But all of us have been into that mine and seen what it can do. It’s deadly. So if you’re even thinking about releasing it on to the open market, you’d better test it properly. Otherwise you’re going to have the death of thousands of innocent people on your hands.’
Kai pulled at the oxygen tube at his nose. He took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes slowly as he thought through what had been said. Everyone waited in silence while his old eyes seemed to rest on a distant part of the lake somewhere behind them.
Kai knew the Guild had billions upon billions of dollars invested in the Goma Project, each family having committed itself deeply. This was a new technology that was taking the world by storm, and any delay in that process, any seeds of doubt about the safety of it all, would send their own stocks crashing. The financial implications of even halting the launch while further testing was completed would be catastrophic, let alone if they found out that there was any validity to these Westerners’ claims.
Xie suddenly shuffled forward. He had been lurking in the shadows. Now he moved through the group of people to stand beside Kai.
‘If I may, sir,’ he said in Mandarin. ‘How do we know these Westerners are telling the truth? We need to check their backgrounds, find out if they were sent here to misinform us and delay the launch of the network.’
Kai raised an eyebrow, then nodded over to where Jian’s necklace still lay on the ground. ‘All the evidence we need is right before our eyes.’
‘But, sir, there are many other factors to consider. The investment is unparalleled and we have an obligation to the Guild …’
Kai slowly raised his hand, silencing him. Even in the dull light, his face looked sheet white, the natural colour drained completely from his cheeks. His stern gaze moved across to the Westerners before resting on Xie.
‘Obligation,’ he said, drawing the word out slowly. ‘Where do our obligations lie? To the money or to the millions of people who will use our products? To be sure, we have invested heavily in this project and it is of great significance, but if the Westerners are right, then I am not prepared to become a mass murderer just to save our share price.’ Kai nodded slowly to himself, the weight of the decision almost too much for him to bear. ‘Halt all shipments with immediate effect until such time as this new substance can be properly tested.’
Xie shut his eyes, the sheer magnitude of the decision making his head spin. He already knew the ramifications of this would ripple out across the Guild and, by extension, the whole of China. It would rupture an already fragmented alliance, causing a new wave of infighting and recriminations, which would inevitably tear the three hundred richest families in China apart.
‘I shall send the message out immediately,’ he said, bowing low.
Kai turned towards the Westerners. ‘If we discover that you have misled us in any way, make no mistake, we shall find you.’ He gave them a dismissive wave of his hand. ‘Now leave us.’
They departed for the helicopter without another word. Xie returned to stand next to Kai’s wheelchair. For several minutes they waited in silence, watching the helicopter slowly rise up and fly off into the night.
‘And the General?’ Xie asked, once the noise had died down.
Kai continued staring out towards the lake. ‘He stays here. It would seem his fate has already been decided.’
Jian stared out of the window in his bedroom. He had ripped off his shirt and sat with his elbows resting on the table in front of him, the swelling on his neck a deeper black in the dull light. Without even realising it, he scratched the skin again, prompting another trickle of blood to ooze out and run down as far as his armpit.
Jian’s gaze turned back to the table. His laptop lay just in front of the butterfly cage, its screen still displaying the share prices on the New York Stock Exchange. With a sweep of his arm, he sent it crashing down on to the bedroom floor before turning his gaze back to the butterflies. The nearest to him slowly peeled its wings apart, revealin
g a streak of iridescent pink.
Over the years, Jian had added hundreds upon hundreds of butterflies to his collection, but never before had he seen such beauty. These specimens were flawless, the markings on each wing perfectly symmetrical, and the colour was more beautiful than he could ever have imagined.
Two days ago, Jian had given his servants instruction to have everything made ready for his return. A special case had already been made, with ‘Salamis parhassus’ neatly embossed beneath the framing mount in gold leaf. Everything was ready.
Opening the cage door, Jian reached inside. As he expertly slid his hand closer to the nearest butterfly, his fingers parted to the exact width of the creature’s thorax. He held his breath, black eyes widening in concentration as he suddenly reached out, taking hold. The movement was precise, his fingers sliding beneath the fluttering wings. A single touch would be all it took …
Jian’s mouth opened as he felt the infinitesimal movement of the butterfly in his grasp, before slowly he drew it from the cage and relaxed his grip. The butterfly’s wings opened in a burst of colour as it flew upwards, battling against the night breeze flooding in through the open window before disappearing into the night.
Jian watched it go.
‘Beautiful,’ he whispered. ‘Just beautiful.’
Chapter 38
LUCA QUIETLY SLID out from between the clean linen sheets and padded over to the bathroom. He splashed some water over his face and quickly pulled on a fresh white T-shirt and his brown, lightweight jungle trousers. Laundry had done the best they could, but still hairline rips ran across the thighs and ankles, while the knees were permanently stained black from mud.
Sneaking out to the door, he paused and glanced over at the bed. Bear was still there, fast asleep with her head buried face down in the heavy folds of the pillows. The sheets were wrapped around her legs, leaving only the soles of her feet visible at the far end, while from the waist up she was naked. Luca stood still for a moment, marvelling at how beautiful she was, even while sleeping.
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