“You and me, both,” Matthew said.
“Anyway, aren’t his parental rights terminated?”
“That’s what Leena asked. ‘I’m supposed to bring my five-year-old daughter to visit a convicted sex offender in Leavenworth?’” Matthew asked. “You can guess the response.”
“What is she going to do?” Margaret asked.
“The General has hired a lawyer friend,” Matthew said. “Hell hath no fury like the General’s lawyer friends.”
Margaret didn’t respond.
“What’s going on?” Matthew asked.
“It’s really happening,” Margaret said. “I thought the LC was nuts to think they were pulling us apart.”
“It appears that way,” Matthew said. “What happened?”
Margaret told him everything, including everything about her relationship with Cian. To her relief, Matthew only said, “So you’re here. Good. I’ll be right over.”
She set the phone down and got dressed. She was coming out of the bathroom when Cian returned with his brother. John’s striking blue eyes scanned her face.
“As a resident, I worked at a lot of hospitals on call. Alex was gone, and we needed the money,” John said.
“Okay,” Margaret said.
“He knows people at almost every hospital in the country,” Cian said.
“I work at training hospitals,” John said. “It’s very rare for someone to get a job here in Denver after training.”
“Do you know someone in Shiprock?” Margaret’s voice betrayed her desperation.
“A few, actually,” John smiled. “Come. Let’s get this sorted.”
Margaret nodded and followed the Kelly brothers down the stairs of Max’s side of the rooming house. Matthew was waiting for them in the shared dining room when they arrived downstairs.
“I’ll put the pot on,” Cian nodded to Margaret and went into the kitchen.
“I’ll make some calls,” John said.
“Great,” Margaret sat next to Matthew. “I’ll wait right here.”
John nodded to Margaret and followed Cian into the kitchen.
“Have something to say about me and Cian?” Margaret asked Matthew. “You’d better spit it out now.”
“No,” Matthew said.
“Were you surprised?”
“Alex told me you were dating,” Matthew said.
“She did?” Margaret asked. “When?”
“Uh . . . ,” Matthew squinted. “A year ago? Wait, what month is it?”
Margaret eyes narrowed while Matthew tried to work it out.
“More than a year ago,” Matthew nodded.
“Then why is she asking everyone who he’s dating?” Margaret asked.
“She probably thinks it’s about time for you to tell everyone,” Matthew shrugged. “How many times have you heard her ask?”
“Five or six,” Margaret said.
“I’ve never heard her ask anyone,” Matthew shrugged.
“You mean she’s just asking people around me?”
Matthew nodded.
“Sue Ann Joiner is right,” Margaret said. “She’s a real stinker.”
“Lieutenant Colonel Stinker,” Matthew winked. “It does have a ring to it.”
Margaret gave him a dark look.
“Ready to shift gears?” Matthew asked.
“To what?” Margaret asked.
“To figuring out why someone wants to split up the Fey Team?” Matthew asked. “Leena and her daughter are already on their way.”
Matthew nodded toward the laptop on the table.
“Yes, sir,” Margaret said and set to work.
FFFFFF
The next day
Monday afternoon
November 8 – 4:54 p.m. China Standard Time (1:54 a.m. MST)
Chongqing, China
They had arrived in China’s most populated city around two in the afternoon and were asked to wait in a small room near the tarmac. An hour later, their bags and passports were returned to them. An hour after that, their laptops were returned, and they went through another full body scan. When Max asked about their cell phones, their guards looked confused and did not respond. Almost three hours after their plane landed, they were welcomed to China and introduced to a driver who would take them into town.
“They’ve never taken our cell phones before,” Alex said under her breath when they were in the back of the limousine.
“We never gone to an execution,” Max said.
“Don’t like it,” Raz shifted uncomfortably.
Alex nodded. The limousine took the highway and sped toward downtown.
“Something is definitely going on,” Max pointed to the river surrounding the peninsula. “We’re going to the Central Politburo.”
“Don’t like it,” Raz repeated.
The limousine stopped in front of the Communist Party headquarters. Their vehicle had just come to a stop when their door opened.
“Please,” a young soldier said in accented English. “Your baggage will be taken to your hotel. Please bring your computers.”
He directed them out of the vehicle where another soldier waited. The soldiers escorted them across the sidewalk and up the concrete stairs into the large building. They reached the door, and the two soldiers saluted them. Once inside the building, they were met by a young man and woman. Wearing the official uniform of the international intelligence community, ill-fitting blue suits, the agents did not introduce themselves.
“Thank you for coming,” the young woman said in perfect American English. “We are meeting upstairs.”
She waved her hand toward a row of elevators where a crowd of people waited. The young man stepped forward to catch the first elevator that opened. He waved Alex, Raz, and Max onto the elevator. The young woman followed them in. No one else attempted to get into the elevator with them.
Alex shifted closer to Raz, and Max moved next to her. Shoulder to shoulder, they eyed the numbers above the door as the elevator rose.
“Been here before?” Raz asked in a low tone.
Max shook his head. Alex nodded.
“The Lieutenant Colonel is a friend to China,” the young man said in Mandarin.
Alex smiled. Noting the set of her shoulders, Raz knew that she was mentally preparing herself for any possible outcome. Max glanced at Raz and nodded. They had no idea where they were going or who they would meet.
They followed the young woman off the elevator. She turned right and stepped into an office labeled “Fourth Bureau” in Chinese. They were going to the Technology Bureau of the Ministry of State Security. The young woman nodded to a middle-aged woman sitting at the receptionist’s desk. The middle-aged receptionist passed out badges which stated their names, their official titles, and had photos that had been taken while they waited at the airport. Alex clipped her badge to her shirt and checked to make sure that Raz and Max had their badges. The young man came into the office just as they finished putting on their badges.
“Are they ready for us?” the young man asked in Mandarin.
“Did you allow them to use the restroom?” The receptionist’s chastising tone indicated her rank. The young man looked flustered. “Will you take them to use the facilities?”
“Thank you for your concern, ma’am,” Alex responded in Mandarin. “We were able to refresh ourselves at the airport. We are ready.”
The woman gave a slight bow. She glared at the young man, and he gestured them into the offices. When Alex got to the desk, the woman playing receptionist reached out her hand. Alex took her hand for a moment before nodding and following the young man to the back.
“What was that?” Raz asked under his breath.
“We’ve met,” Alex said.
The young man stopped at what seemed to be a conference room. He opened the door and stepped back.
“Here we go,” Max said.
He stepped into the room. Alex paused for a moment before following him in. Raz held the door for the young man an
d went in after him. Max and Alex waited at the door until Raz was at her side. They moved into the room together.
The head of the Ministry of State Security, China’s intelligence agency, sat at the end of the table. A man about Alex’s age sat to his right. Although his eyes were now deep brown, she could detect the faint outline of bruises left by a healing broken nose. He stood when she looked at him. A woman sat at the table across from him. Alex recognized her as the second-in-command for the MSS fifth bureau, local intelligence, in Chongqing. She nodded hello.
Two men, whose short-sleeved white shirts and pocket protectors made them look like agents from the technology bureau of the MSS, sat next to the woman. The man with the healing broken nose sat next to a man in an expensive suit. A woman, possibly his secretary or a young agent, sat just to the right and behind the man with the expensive suit. The man in the expensive suit gave a nodding bow to Max. As if he knew the man in the expensive suit, Max returned the nodding bow.
The young man guided them to three empty chairs at the end of the table.
“You may sit here,” he said in Mandarin.
“I’d prefer to stand,” Raz said in English. He gestured to his back and added, “It’s been a long flight. My back is stiff.”
“There is no danger here, Agent Rasmussen,” the head of the MSS said in clear British-accented English. “We need assistance with a matter. We believe you might be able to assist us.”
“And what would that be?” Max asked.
“It is nice to see you again, Mr. Hargreaves,” the head of the MSS said. “I had heard you were an exact twin to the Fey. I would never have believed it if I wasn’t sitting right here.”
The middle-aged woman who was playing receptionist scooted into the room. She pulled over a seat to sit between the head of the MSS and the woman from local intelligence. As if on cue, the young woman who’d met them came in with two pots of tea. She set a pot of tea in front of Alex, Max, and Raz. Knowing the Chinese would receive their tea in the order of their importance, Alex waited to pour the tea until the Chinese were done.
The head of MSS, of course, was served first. The man with the broken nose was served next, and then the woman who had pretended to be the receptionist. The man in the expensive suit received his tea before the agents from the technology bureau. The young woman sitting next to the man with the expensive suit received her tea last. When tea had been distributed among the Chinese agents, Alex poured Max and Raz a cup of tea before pouring for herself. The room was silent while everyone drank their tea.
The head of the MSS cleared his throat and sat up straighter. He nodded to the man with the broken nose.
“Would you mind if we skip introductions?” the man with the broken nose asked in English. “We’d only offend you with false names.”
“Does save time,” Max said.
They had agreed that Max would take the lead in the meeting. As a representative of the US secretary of state, he had more authority in China than Alex or Raz.
“We knew you’d understand,” the man with the broken nose said. “If it is all right with you, we will conduct this meeting in Mandarin. I am aware that although Agent Rasmussen has made an impressive attempt at pretending not to understand Mandarin, you speak it fluently.”
“That will be fine,” Max said in Mandarin.
Alex leaned back in her chair and waited. She caught a nervous look pass between the technology agents. The young woman near them took out a computer tablet and began taking notes with a light pen. The technology agent closest to them took a plastic box out from his bag and set it on the table.
“What is this?” the technology agent asked in Mandarin.
The box was made out of a paper-thin plastic. The top appeared to be hermetically sealed to the box with silicone. There was a small winged object inside.
“A plastic box?” Max responded.
The technology agent glanced at the head of the MSS, who gave a curt nod. The technology agent took a plastic wrapped sterile knife from the pocket of his shirt. He picked up the box and pressed the sterile knife through the plastic wrapping. He used the knife to break the seal on the box. He carefully pulled off the top and slid the box in their direction. Max picked up the box to look inside. He passed the box to Alex.
Alex looked at the head of the MSS, the man with the broken nose, and the middle-aged women sitting next to the head of the MSS before looking into the box.
A nanodrone sat inside the box.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Alex gave the box to Raz. He took a look and set it down.
“Do you know what this is?” the head of the MSS asked.
“We might,” Max said.
“You’re wondering what you will receive in exchange for that information,” the head of the MSS said. He nodded to the man with the broken nose.
“We know where Steve Pershing is being held,” the man with the broken nose said.
“As a part of your contract with the Fey Team, you are obligated to pass along that information,” Alex said. “Are you violating your contract?”
“No,” said the middle-aged woman who had played the receptionist. “Mr. Pershing is being held in a region that is inaccessible to the Fey Team. We are offering his location as well as every assistance – diplomatic, and otherwise.”
The middle-aged woman gestured toward the man with the broken nose. He nodded in agreement. Alex glanced at the man.
“We have heard that you know what this is and have a way of detecting them,” the head of the MSS said. “For the sake of clarity, we are offering assistance at the highest level in exchange for information regarding what this is and how to detect it.”
Max leaned back in his chair and let the silence lag.
“In case you cannot see, it’s a drone,” the technology agent closest to them said. His fingers stretched toward the box. The head of the MSS gave him a stern look, and the agent looked down at the table. As if they were itching to hold the drone, his fingers continued to stretch toward the box.
Max glanced at Alex and then at Raz.
“I appreciate that you do not insult us by saying you need to get permission from your superiors,” the head of the MSS said. “We are requesting your assistance and will give you something you desire in return. It seems like a fair deal.”
Max nodded to Alex and she leaned forward.
“I’m not sure why you didn’t contact me with your question and your offer,” Alex said. “This type of issue is easily dealt with over official channels.”
“The information came into our possession while you were in-flight,” the middle-aged woman who’d pretended to be the receptionist said.
Alex opened her mouth to ask why they hadn’t passed the information to the Fey Team.
“Both pieces of information,” the man with the broken nose said.
Alex picked up her teacup. She looked at the man with the broken nose and drained her cup.
“We agree to your terms, but with this caveat,” Max said. “You will assist us in the return of Steve Pershing prior to receipt of the detection devices.”
“Done,” the head of the MSS said.
Max paused for a moment before giving Alex an overly official nod. She smirked and he smiled. She picked up the box.
“Did you find this or make it?” Alex asked as she peered into the box.
The technology agents glanced at the head of the MSS. He nodded.
“We found this one in our offices,” the technology agent closest to her said.
“Have you taken it apart or disrupted it in anyway?” Alex asked.
“No,” the technology agent near the middle of the table said.
Alex clapped. The nanodrone sprang to life. The Chinese agents gasped and leaned away from the table. Raz took out his handkerchief and tossed it over the drone. The drone dropped to the table.
“It’s powered by a weak photovoltaic cell,” Alex said.
She opened the handkerchief and picked up
the drone. Turning it over, she saw a familiar blue dot on the bottom.
“What does it do?” the middle-aged woman asked.
“At this moment, we don’t believe it does anything but fly,” Alex said.
“It emits a frequency,” the technology agent seated next to the middle-aged woman said.
“Yes,” Alex said. “It does. We believe that’s a kind of machine noise due to being manufactured with low-quality parts. We’ve only just determined who manufactured the drones. The US military drone experts have been unsuccessful at attempts to arm the drone or give it the capability of sight. Have you been able to?”
The technology agents shook their heads, before the head of the MSS indicated they should not answer.
“And the person or persons who manufactured the drone?” the head of the MSS asked.
“Deceased,” Max said.
“The drone itself is an engineering achievement,” the technology agent near them said. “We have computer models for drones such as this, but we haven’t come close to making one.”
“Do you have any idea how they got into your offices?” Alex asked.
“We thought it must be US intelligence,” the head of the MSS said.
“Not to my knowledge,” Max said.
“Yes, the US intelligence community denies all knowledge,” the head of the MSS said. “Why is that?”
“Because we aren’t sure who commissioned them, purchased them, and placed them,” Alex said. “I’m sure you’re aware that the drones have been found in various strategic locations around the world.”
The head of the MSS nodded.
“Could they have been commissioned by this Eniac?” the middle-aged woman said.
Alex shifted uncomfortably.
“We received the anti-virus software from Agent Rasmussen last year,” the middle-aged woman said. “We are grateful for your assistance.”
“Did you find the virus in your nuclear arsenal?” Raz asked.
“That’s correct,” the middle-aged woman said.
“We believe Eniac is connected to the drones, but we aren’t exactly sure how,” Max said.
“We assure you that this man and his followers are considered a threat to China,” the head of the MSS said.
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