The Dark Web_The stunning new thriller from the author of The Angolan Clan

by Christopher Lowery

  ‘Thank you, Junjie,’ Cheong said, ‘but I’ve never faced such a situation before. I need a few minutes to discuss the next steps with my colleagues.’

  The others waited impatiently while the Lee-Win directors talked in staccato Mandarin, until Cheong announced, ‘We agree that urgent action must be taken, but without causing a scandal. It would not be helpful to Lee-Win or to our country’s reputation if this conspiracy became widely known. We must neutralise Wei ourselves, quickly and quietly.’

  Leo frowned. ‘How do you suggest we do that?’

  Han replied, ‘As far as we know, he is not interested in politics, so his actions must be motivated by money. That makes the problem easier to resolve. Mr Cheong and I will go up to the hub room together and negotiate a compromise with him. Any other course risks the matter getting out of control.’

  ‘That’s crazy! What if he’s armed and doesn’t want to listen? You’ll be sitting ducks, and then he’ll have hostages to strengthen his hand.’

  ‘I don’t believe he will be armed, he’s not a violent man and won’t expect to be disturbed. But I agree it’s best to be cautious. I have my service pistol in the safe in my office, will that satisfy you? Don’t worry, I was in the infantry, I know how to handle a gun.’

  Fifteen minutes later, the chairman and the CEO, armed with a pass card and a NORINCO NP-42 9mm pistol, went up to the sixtieth floor, entered the hub room and closed the door behind them.

  Moscow, Russian Federation

  It was five-thirty, and Shen Fu Liáng aka Grigori Vedeneyev was enjoying afternoon tea at the Moscow Marriott Grand Hotel with his mother and sister. In the company of the two people he loved most in the world, he was relaxed and content, looking forward to his appointment with destiny at midnight. He had time to take his family home, bathe and change, maybe even have a short nap, before meeting General Piotr Gavrikov at the GRU headquarters at eleven o’clock.

  He was pouring a fresh cup of tea for them all when his mobile pinged. ‘Sorry. It might be important. We’re finalising something tonight, so I’d better check it.’ He took the phone from his pocket and an icy chill ran down his spine. The text message from Hoi Lei said only, Timing problem. Ready now. Send instructions immediately.

  Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

  The phone in the conference room rang a few minutes after the chairman and MD left the room. ‘It’s for you, Leo,’ said the Chinese director whose name he couldn’t remember.

  ‘Hello, who’s this?’

  ‘Hi, Leo. How’s it going?’

  ‘Marius! Hi. How’s everything in Delmas?’

  ‘I assume it’s just fine, but right now I’m downstairs at the Lee-Win reception desk. Can you get someone to authorise me to come up?’

  Five minutes later, Coetzee had met Patrice and Junjie and been introduced to the others. Leo quickly brought him up-to-date on the situation.

  He immediately asked, ‘How long have they been upstairs?’

  ‘Not more than ten minutes. They went up just before you arrived.’

  ‘And this guy, Han, he’s got a pistol?’

  Leo nodded, and Coetzee stood up. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘You mean to the hub room? What’s the problem?’

  ‘Leo, remember 2010? If someone’s got a gun, it doesn’t take ten minutes to get things sorted. Grab your laptop and let’s go.’

  ‘Why don’t we get security to come?’

  ‘You’ve got the CEO and the chairman in there, and you said they don’t want to cause a scare. If we can sort it out quietly, so much the better. If not, there’ll be time for Patrice and Junjie to get security involved.’

  ‘OK, but we need a pass card for the hub room. How do we get one?’

  ‘If we ask nicely, I don’t think we’ll need one. Time’s short, come on.’ Coetzee went to the door with Leo. ‘Patrice, you stay here with the others. If you hear nothing in ten minutes, get security up there. OK?’

  Moscow, Russian Federation

  Shen Fu Liáng was in a taxi on the way to the GRU building on Grizodubovoy Street. It was only a twenty-minute ride, but it seemed to be taking hours. He was on his mobile with Piotr Gavrikov and the general wasn’t happy.

  ‘What do you mean we have to send it out immediately? Are you fucking crazy? The president fixed the time at midnight, and that’s still six hours away. We can’t just ignore his instructions like that, he’ll have our guts for garters. What does it say exactly?’

  Shen repeated the words. ‘Timing problem. Ready now. Send instructions immediately.’

  ‘And you’re sure it’s from your contact? It couldn’t be a fake?’

  ‘I’m certain of it. I’ll be there in ten minutes, everything’s prepared, I can send it right away. I assumed you’d want to be there when I do.’

  ‘I’m in the building now. I’ll meet you at reception and we’ll decide what to do. This is a fucking nightmare situation. What the hell can have gone wrong?’

  ‘I don’t know, but it doesn’t change anything, just the time. I’ll see you in ten minutes.’

  Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

  ‘Why did you come here at short notice like that? Did something happen?’

  Coetzee pressed the button for the sixtieth floor. ‘It wasn’t my idea.’

  Leo thought for a split second. ‘Aunt Jenny?’

  ‘Right. She had one of her dreams a while ago and she was sure there’d be problems here. I should have thought of it myself. I’m sorry for putting you in harm’s way without a back-up.’

  ‘Not your fault. We should have thought more about the risks, especially when the stakes are as high as they seem to be. Anyway, you’re here now, so what’s the plan?’

  Moscow, Russian Federation

  ‘It’s too risky to call him, it sounds like there’s some kind of problem and he’s not able to talk, that’s why he texted. I’ve got to send the upload package now. If he says they’re ready, it means it’ll go straight out and that’s what we want.’ Shen was sweating freely and his hands were trembling. Five years of his life, almost half a billion dollars and closure of his hated Chinese birth right were in jeopardy, and he was stymied by a Russian general who couldn’t take a decision.

  General Piotr Gavrikov was in a state of panic. He had specific orders from the president of Russia and he couldn’t execute them. He’d called his office, but the answer was, ‘The president is unattainable for the next two hours.’ The attaché he’d spoken to didn’t have security clearance for the operation, so he couldn’t leave a precise description of the emergency. There was no one else he could call for approval and if the deployment didn’t go ahead, his career, even his life, could be suddenly over. The ball was in his backyard.

  He grabbed Shen by the arm. ‘Why the hell didn’t you foresee something like this could go wrong? Why don’t you have a fallback plan?’

  ‘Don’t try to push the blame onto me. I’ve known from the beginning you had your own man in there, in case something like this happened. The message must mean both of our people are in trouble. There’s only one option. Send the fucking instructions, now!’

  FIFTY-NINE

  Shanghai, People’s Republic of China Sunday, 18 July 2017

  The sixtieth floor was deserted, and Leo and Coetzee walked along the corridor to the hub room. It was surrounded by walls of darkly frosted translucent glass, so those outside couldn’t see in and those inside couldn’t see out.

  Leo knocked on the door. ‘Han, Mr Cheong, it’s Leo. Can you open up?’

  A moment passed, then Cheong’s voice replied, ‘Everything is under control here, Leo. We’ll be down in a short time, no need for you to come in.’

  ‘Bohai, with all due respect, I’ve come all this way, I want to make sure the threat is eliminated. Please open the door.’

  Another pause. ‘Are the others with you?’

  ‘No,’ he replied truthfully. ‘They’re waiting downstairs.’

  The door opened
inwards. ‘Come in then.’ Bohai was holding the door, and Leo walked past him into the room. Han was sitting at a table, his hands flat on the worktop. He had a cut over his right eye and coagulated blood on his bruised cheek. Before the chairman could close the door again, Coetzee stepped forward from the side, pushed past him and slammed it shut.

  ‘You said you were alone! Who’s this man?’

  ‘I’m Coetzee. Who’re you?’

  ‘He’s Bohai Cheong, the chairman, and the other guy is Han Wang Tāng, the CEO. But I’m the guy in charge.’ The voice came from a man standing at a table with a PC and screens on it at the other end of the room. Tall and dark-skinned, he was holding a pistol – Han’s pistol.

  Coetzee said, ‘So, you’re the mysterious accomplice, Hoi Wei?’

  ‘That’s him, the filthy traitor.’ Bohai stared contemptuously at the man. ‘I don’t understand it, after all these years with our company. Why have you done this? Attacking your employer and planning this monstrous cyber-attack.’

  ‘Money, of course,’ said Coetzee. ‘How much are they paying you?’

  He waved the pistol at them. ‘Shut your mouths and sit there with Han, all of you.’

  Coetzee remained where he was and nodded to Leo to sit down. He dragged a couple of chairs over and sat alongside Han and the chairman. He said, ‘You OK, Han? That’s a nasty cut you’ve got.’

  Han nodded, and Wei said, ‘He’s fine, I just took the gun off him. He wasn’t expecting any resistance.’ He laughed and waved the pistol at them.

  Coetzee said, ‘And you know how to handle it.’

  ‘Shut the fuck up and sit down, I’m busy.’ He turned to the computer, checked the screen and turned back to them.

  ‘I guess that’s the hub console? You’re waiting for the upload from Moscow?’

  ‘And you’re Leo Stewart, the guy who tried to fuck it up. You’re going to be disappointed. It’s on the way, won’t be long.’ He pointed the pistol at Coetzee. ‘I told you to sit down and shut up.’

  Coetzee walked towards the Chinaman. ‘Give me the gun, Hoi, before somebody gets hurt.’ He reached out his hand. ‘Give it here.’

  Hoi aimed the pistol at his chest. ‘Get back or I’ll pull the trigger. Turn around and sit the fuck down.’

  Leo had seen Coetzee in action before. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he sat forward on the chair, poised, ready to go to the South African’s aid.

  ‘I see you’ve never fired a gun. It pays to take the safety off.’ Coetzee was just a metre from him.

  Hoi looked down at the pistol, saw the safety catch and tried to flip it with his thumb.

  Coetzee grabbed the gun out of his hand. ‘Don’t ever threaten to kill me, or it might backfire on you.’ He slapped Hoi across the ear with the heel of his hand and he fell to the floor, grabbing Coetzee by the ankles, trying to pull him down.

  Leo ran over and kicked him in the deltoid. ‘Game over, Hoi.’ He screamed and fell onto his back, rubbing his upper arm. ‘Fuck! You bastard, you’ve broken my shoulder.’

  ‘I didn’t kick hard enough for that. Just a bit of bruising in the morning.’

  Coetzee pulled him to his feet and frogmarched him across the room. He pushed him onto a chair. ‘Sit there and keep your mouth shut. Give me your mobile, put the password in.’ Hoi didn’t move. ‘Do it, if you don’t want Leo to kick you to shit.’

  He handed him the phone and Coetzee looked at the latest messages. ‘He sent a text to Shen fifteen minutes ago, telling him to send the upload immediately. Have a look at that console, Leo.’

  The table was littered with files, printouts and other computer paraphernalia. There was an empty coffee mug and a plate that was being used as an ashtray. Leo pushed the mess aside to make space for his laptop. ‘What’s the password, Han?’

  The CEO moved his chair away from Hoi and wiped a bloodied hand over his eyes. ‘Thank you for saving us from this disgusting creature, Mr Coetzee, we probably owe you and Leo our lives. But I don’t have the password, you’ll have to get it from him.’

  ‘What is it, Hoi?’

  The man didn’t answer, and Coetzee went over to him and squeezed his bruised shoulder until he winced with pain. ‘If we don’t have the password in five seconds, I’ll break your other arm.’

  ‘It changes every day. I stuck it on the computer screen to have it handy.’

  Leo said, ‘I see it, but it’s in Chinese. OK, come here and explain the deployment procedure to me. It’ll be faster.’

  Han stood up. ‘I think it’s safer to keep him away from the computer, I don’t trust him.’ He went over to Coetzee. ‘That’s my army pistol, Mr Coetzee. I’ll take it and guard Hoi. Mr Cheong can translate for you and Leo. Don’t worry, I can handle this traitor.’

  He handed him the gun. ‘I’ve left the safety on. Can you call down and tell Junjie there’s no need for security? And watch out for this slimy bastard.’

  Han picked up the phone and Coetzee went to the console with Bohai.

  With the chairman’s help, Leo quickly found his way around the system. ‘Nothing’s arrived yet. I’d better get moving.’ He started working on his laptop. ‘How many countries are you supposed to send the upload to?’

  ‘Why the fuck should I help you? What do I get out of it?’

  Coetzee turned and stared at him. ‘We’ll let you live, for a start.’

  Han prodded him with the pistol, ‘Answer, you repulsive animal!’

  ‘Fourteen. All the ex-USSR countries.’

  ‘That’s the hub coordinates on this list?’

  Hoi nodded, and Coetzee said, ‘Just for interest, how much did Shen pay you?’

  ‘It’s none of your fucking business.’ Han prodded him again. ‘He gave me 150,000 Euros, with another 100,000 to come. I’ve earned it.’

  ‘You haven’t earned it yet, and we’ll make sure you don’t.’

  ‘So I suppose you’ll be calling the cops now?’

  Coetzee said, ‘OK, listen to me. At the moment you haven’t committed any crime. You’re prepared to commit one, but it’s still not executed. If you help us, we don’t care what happens to you. It’s too complicated to get the police involved and it won’t change anything. If Han and Bohai agree, you’re free to go as soon as we’re finished here.’

  ‘I don’t see how I can help you, you’re running the show now.’

  Moscow, Russian Federation

  ‘OK, they’re all in agreement.’ Piotr Gavrikov put the phone down with a trembling hand. It was six p.m. and he’d spoken to Generals Dorokhin and Zhigunov and Admiral Bolotnikov, who confirmed they were ready to proceed. He then called the Minister of Defence, General Belinsky, and explained the situation to him. Since the president couldn’t be reached, the general had outlined the stark options for him. ‘In two hours’ time, if you haven’t sent it and it’s too late, you’ll be held personally responsible. If you send it and something goes wrong, you’ll still be held responsible. So you’d better send it and hope it goes according to plan.’

  Shen breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Thank God for that. Come on, let’s go.’ They raced to the elevators to take them to the underground network centres. It was almost an hour since he’d received the text. He prayed he’d be in time to fix things. If not… he didn’t like to consider the alternative.

  Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

  ‘Right. It’s ready. You want to double-check, Marius?’

  He came to the table and Leo showed him his set-up, step by step. ‘Looks OK to me, but you’re the expert, so we’ll just cross our fingers and trust you.’

  ‘Remind me to thank Abby. Without that last message of hers I wouldn’t have known how to do this.’

  ‘If we live that long, I’ll be happy to do so.’

  ‘Move away from the console, all of you.’ Han Wan Tāng was standing behind Hoi, pointing the Norinko at them. ‘Step away and sit on the floor in that corner, away from the computer. Leave your laptop there, Leo.�
� He tapped Hoi’s shoulder with the gun. ‘Make sure he hasn’t interfered with your programme.’

  Hoi stood up, looking round at him in confusion. ‘What? What the fuck’s going on, Han?’

  ‘Never mind, just do what I told you, now.’

  Coetzee laughed out loud. ‘Well, well, it’s the old Russian double or triple cross. Han lets Hoi take him out, so he’ll stay in the clear. Behind the bad guy there’s another and maybe even one more. Whose side are you on, Mr Cheong?’

  The chairman was staring at Han in amazement. ‘What the hell are you doing, Han? Put that gun down. Are you mad?’

  ‘Looks like he’s just protecting his investment. Right, Han? You were the back-up in case Hoi screwed up, and now you’ve got to take over the party.’

  ‘I don’t have time to discuss it, move away and sit down.’

  Coetzee gestured to the others to stand aside as Hoi went over to the PC and interrogated the system. ‘It’s OK, he’s created another file, but it’s not connected to mine.’

  ‘Well, we know it’s Shen who’s paying Hoi, but who’s paying you, Han?’ The South African made a hand gesture to Leo and moved closer to the table.

  ‘What? Who’s paying me? What are you talking about?’ He waved the gun again. ‘Get away from the console, or I’ll shoot.’ He took aim at Coetzee. ‘I won’t make the same mistake as that idiot, the safety’s off this time.’

  Coetzee grabbed Hoi and stood behind him, his arm around the Chinaman’s throat. He snatched the plate from the desk and hurled it, frisbee-style, at Han. Leo ran forward and threw himself at him in a rugby tackle just as the plate smashed into his arm and he pulled the trigger.

  The pistol exploded, and Leo cried out as he felt a burning sensation in his left thigh. ‘Fuck! You’ve shot me, you murdering piece of shit.’ He tore the gun from his hand, threw it to Coetzee then squeezed his hands around his bleeding leg.

  Coetzee laid Hoi out with a rabbit punch to the head then came over and pushed Han onto a chair. He pulled Leo’s jeans down and looked at his leg. By his standards the injury didn’t appear to be serious, the bullet had entered and exited the flesh without breaking any bones or touching an artery. He pressed his handkerchief to the leg while Bohai brought water from the adjacent washroom, then he cleaned the wound, ripped a towel into strips and bound it tightly, remembering Karen’s words at the airport, could you try not to get shot this time? He wished he could have taken the bullet instead of Leo.