Targeting the Telomeres, A Thriller

by R. N. Shapiro

  Chapter 113

  Side Project

  Solarez calls Britt Hayes.

  "All right, the Chinese delegation is now at the old executive office building. Time for step two."

  Two vehicles park a half block away from a small but ornate two-story row house in a residential district of Beijing. A team of six covert CIA operatives enter through the rear grounds. There are no guards, no protection. Once inside the home, the agents silently slip to the second floor, where the residents are sleeping. They roust a woman in the master bedroom, and the lead agent, who speaks Chinese, explains to her she is not to scream, and as long as she cooperates, she will live to see her husband, Jang-Chung.

  He asks her to indicate how many children are in the house and she raises two fingers; he leads her into the hallway and asks her to point out which rooms the children sleep in, and she again complies. After the children are awakened and told to keep silent, all three are allowed to put on shoes and coats, but they are ordered not to take any belongings. The youngest of the children, a 10‑year-old girl, doesn't understand and grabs a doll from her bed. The agents overlook it and lead their captives out the back door, through the backyard, and into the waiting SUVs.

  Solarez answers the internal embassy phone.

  "Sir, we have the family rounded up, and they are safe inside the residential apartments in the rear of the compound.”

  "Excellent work. Thank you."

  "I need to return to the embassy so we can act on this information," Chinese Ambassador Fong says to Stein, who pauses a second before responding.

  "No, we need to stay inside the compound until the summit is over. Then we can work together."

  The Chinese ambassador stands and begins to lead his entourage out of the room. "We will conduct this operation from the Chinese Embassy, not from your executive office building."

  "I'm sorry, that's not going to be possible. We have directions to be your gracious hosts, and to give you comfortable accommodations, but no one is leaving the building at this time. We will provide you a secure phone line to the Chinese Embassy in the conference room next door, and we will allow you to use our facilities as you desire, but you need to remain here. It is important we work together," Stein lies, knowing, in fact, there will be additional chess pieces acquired to make this work.

  The Chinese delegation storms into the open hallway, where Secret Service agents lining the hallway make clear no one is leaving the immediate area. One agent explains to the ambassador all mobile communication devices must be handed over, and they will be returned when the situation has been resolved. One by one, the Chinese grudgingly hand over their cell phones.

  Seeing Stein standing at the end of the hall, the ambassador confronts him. “This is a violation of international law. The United States will pay dearly for this."

  “We need to confirm our citizens in Beijing are safe and on their way. I’m sure it will only be a few minutes.”

  Chapter 114

  Ramshackle

  Charon and his henchman stroll into the industrial warehouse strewn with tools and car parts. In one bay are three late model compact cars, each fifteen to twenty years old. Approaching the cars, both men examine the rear-most car first, opening the driver's side door and carefully checking out the almost threadbare interior. They close the door and go to the next car, which is light blue except for the spots of body compound scattered over the exterior. Again, Charon is most interested in the driver's door, opening then closing it without sitting in the driver’s seat. The third vehicle is so faded it can hardly be called red, but all of the necessary parts, including the driver’s side door, seem to be intact. As Charon finishes looking over the last car, a man who looks to be in charge approaches and stands about ten steps away.

  Charon slams the door shut and looks at Chong, his associate. "Ask him if these cars are gonna run, cuz they look like crap."

  Chong translates Charon’s question, minus the derogatory remark, and the mechanic walks over to the nearest car and points to the inspection sticker on the windshield. Then he moves back a step, and points to the front tire, shaking his head as he talks.

  "He assures me they all run and have current inspection stickers. The tires are worn but he says you said there was no need to replace them.”

  “Yep, he’s right. Tell him two guys are gonna stop by later today to do some work on them, and he’s not to ask any questions."

  Charon digs into his left pants pocket as Chong translates, and pulls out a wad of Chinese yuan. He counts out the equivalent of $5,000.00 USD and places it in the mechanic's hand.

  "Thank him for his work and confirm we'll be moving the cars outta here tonight."

  Chapter 115

  Nature Park

  Ryan puts the finishing touches on his handiwork under the loose-fitting shirt they are using to make Bin Lai look presentable for the trade. A suicide belt is secured under the boy’s shirt, and appears to be rigged to detonate remotely, but it’s a fake. They will arrive at the meeting point with Bin Lai under a blanket in a stroller with the canopy raised. Liza or Amanda will enter the park pushing the stroller, leaving Ryan to carry a diaper bag over his shoulder while hiding his Uzi under his jacket.

  They stash the stroller in the back of the SUV and the four of them drive through the embassy gates and head west to the nature park. Ryan selected this park for two reasons: because of its large public square occupied by parents and kids, which doesn’t make for a great bullet-ridden death zone, and because the parking lots are several hundred meters away from the red arch meeting point at the park entrance.

  One hour before rendezvous, Britt Hayes and three other agents take up positions surrounding the entrance, one of whom launches a drone in a deserted area just outside the park. The other two agents study the satellite images on their laptops, which show remarkable details of the park and the surrounding buildings and topography. Inside a room on the top floor of the only tall building in the area, which houses the administrative offices for the park personnel, an electronics engineer controls the jamming equipment. Several thick antennae point toward the large closed window facing the park entrance. In one of the many images on her laptop, Britt watches Ryan and his entourage enter the park.

  “We have a serious problem,” one of the agents reports.

  “What’s that?” Britt asks.

  The agent gestures toward the screen. Britt leans in closer and squints at the video feed from the drone. On the flat roof of the administrative building, a sniper lays prone behind a large rifle mounted on a short tripod. The barrel of the weapon projects through a drainage hole in the stub wall encompassing the roof. She locates the burner phone in her purse and calls Ryan.

  As he enters the park, Ryan hears the still unfamiliar ringtone coming from the phone he’s only answered twice since he’s been in China. He slows down and pulls over, realizing there is no good reason why someone would be calling him now.

  “Yes?”

  “When you pull into the parking lot, don’t exit your car, stay put until I get back to you. There’s a sniper on top of the tallest building. I’m going to contact our facilitator.”

  Britt hangs up and dials Solarez on a different phone. As soon as she explains the problem, he types an email message to Birdie:

  “Someone’s trying to sabotage this deal. If your president wants his grandson not to be in several pieces, you call your contacts and tell them to remove the sniper. They’ve got five minutes. If he’s not withdrawn, he’ll be taken out and the trade will be off. Don’t respond to this message, we’ll visually confirm he is gone and will proceed to the agreed exchange location.”

  The next few minutes seem like hours to Solarez.

  Britt watches the drone footage as the sniper sits up from his prone position, then reaches for a narrow black bag. He detaches the rifle, folds up the tripod, and places it and his rifle in the black bag before disappearing from the roof area. She waits another few minutes to assure he walk
s from the building’s ground level.

  She texts Ryan: All clear.

  Liza directs Ryan to the rear of the administrative building where he parks the SUV. Not seeing anything suspicious, they get out and quickly set up the stroller. They are a mere 10 minutes from the rendezvous point. As they slowly make their way down a sidewalk toward the main entrance, Amanda notices the inscription on the red arch and asks Liza what it says.

  “Something like ‘Enjoy the natural beauty of the world around you.’”

  They keep their eyes peeled for someone bringing Justin. There are many people enjoying the sunny day, wheeling strollers, riding bikes, or walking in and out of the park. Finally, 50 yards from the entrance, they see four people including at least one woman, standing near the entrance, with a stroller. The child is concealed by a blanket and canopy, just like Bin Lai, but two of the adults are wearing forest green coats and they are hovering around the entry gate, so Ryan assumes they are the ones with Justin.

  “I’ll walk ahead, you both stay about 10 yards back. Amanda, once I get a visual of the child, I’m going to come back to get you. We need to verify it’s Justin, it’ll be your visual assessment plus the mobile device Britt gave us.”

  Amanda nods, but realizes the facial recognition software will be critical.

  Ryan continues. “I’m also going to let them know Bin Lai is wired so they don’t try anything after the trade.”

  Liza feels in her right pocket for the Glock Britt came up with at her request. They all move forward with Ryan running point.

  “Which of you speaks English?”

  The female replies, “I speak English. Do you have Bin Lai?”

  “Yes, but I need to make sure the child you brought is Justin Michaels.”

  She motions to the man behind the stroller and he pulls the blanket down, revealing the boy’s face. Other than knowing what Amanda looks like, Ryan has no idea how Justin should look since he was abducted at birth.

  “Hold on, I need someone else to verify his identity.” He motions to Amanda, who walks the short distance and looks down at the stroller as the man pulls back the blanket again. The little boy has distinctive Michaels features, she then holds up the mobile device Britt supplied and snaps a picture. She takes a step or two back, and waits for the response. Sure enough, the green checkmark fills the screen, so she nods affirmatively at Ryan.

  Realizing they are satisfied the child is Justin, the woman in the green coat says, “Now we need to see Bin Lai.”

  Ryan and Amanda lead the woman back to their stroller. As they approach, Liza pulls back the blanket just enough to reveal Bin Lai’s head.

  “Please show me his arms.”

  Liza pulls the blanket back further to reveal the child’s arms, including the one ending in the large bandage. The lady frowns, but confirms the child is Bin Lai. “Bring the stroller closer and we will make this trade.”

  Ryan takes the handles of the stroller from Liza and the three of them follow the Chinese woman. When they are all together again and Amanda holds the handles of Justin’s stroller, Ryan pulls the blanket off of Bin Lai and raises his shirt, revealing the suicide belt.

  “The remote synced with the explosives in this belt can detonate them within a one-mile range. If anyone tries anything when we leave, we’ll hit the button and blow Bin Lai and the rest of you to pieces.”

  This revelation infuriates the female agent, who translates the information for her partners.

  Ryan smirks. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

  Amanda doesn’t need any instructions, she immediately starts pushing the stroller toward their vehicle. Over their shoulders, they see the Chinese walking in the other direction to a different parking area with Bin Lai.

  They put the stroller in the back of the SUV, get buckled up, and speed out of the park.

  “We did it! You’re brilliant, Ryan!” Amanda exclaims.

  “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” Liza warns. “We know that, don’t we, Ryan?”

  “Truer words have never been spoken,” he agrees, looking in his rearview mirror just in time to see two SUVs pull off a side road in pursuit. However, they don’t get more than a couple blocks before two more vehicles appear from another side street and park across the main road, blocking their path. Britt Hayes’ maneuver thwarts the would-be pursuers, who put their SUVs in reverse and speed off in the opposite direction.

  Proceed with contingency plan.

  Charon stares at the text. It’s a go. No one else appreciates the weight of these words like he does. He takes a deep breath, then another. Still, his heart rate quickens. He scrolls through his phone for a suitable playlist and finds the one titled “Prophecy Conditions.” Smiling at the title and its unfulfilled feel, he cranks up the first tune and drowns out all outside sound.

  Chapter 116

  Exfiltration

  Charon hops off the scooter and slides it into the metal rack within the row of dozens of motorbikes on the sidewalk. The surface of the rack and the concrete are flecked with dingy soot from the smokestacks of the industrial factories nearby. He and Chong grabbed some breakfast before he thanked him for his help and sent him on his way.

  As he enters a Beijing café, patrons stare at their tablets, phones, and laptops, and an espresso machine grinds loudly over the music. The scene is the same as one would encounter at Starbucks, but this cafe has a Chinese name that means celebrity star cafe, or maybe movie star café—he doesn’t remember exactly what Chong said it meant when they stopped in the day before. He flips open his laptop, joining the other device users, and brings six different video feeds up on his screen. Each feed features one of three intersections, with one view close up and one further away.

  He looks at his watch. Anytime within the next fifteen minutes, he figures. He then retrieves from his backpack three mobile phones, each numbered one through three on a piece of tape on the bottom. Finally, he pulls a set of noise-cancelling earbuds out of his pocket, along with his own cell phone, and turns on his playlist, starting with "This Is What You Came For" by Calvin Harris and Rihanna. The music pulses into his ears.

  His attention turns back to his laptop, watching every vehicle that approaches each intersection, until finally he sees a black SUV. He looks at the close-up camera view and sure enough, a small red glow appears on the rear bumper, confirming it is the one he has been watching for.

  "Oh my God, Justin, I’m so glad to have you back!” Amanda hugs her young brother, trying not to squeeze too hard. She doesn’t have a car seat for him, so she cradles him tight in her arms in the backseat of the black SUV. Justin looks bewildered uttering single, unconnected words, some in English and many most likely in Chinese. Amanda doesn’t care what he’s saying, or who taught him Chinese words, she’s so thankful to have him safely in her arms. The only piece of the plan left now is getting out of China and back home.

  As Ty Ryan speeds down the road, he watches the rearview and the side-view mirrors, knowing this won’t go down easily. He is surprised to see no one tailing them, which raises his adrenaline level.

  “I didn’t chop off the kid’s pinky finger,” Ryan blurts out, shifting a tad to see Amanda’s face in the rearview mirror.

  “What?” Amanda asks.

  “Yeah, explain that.” Liza says.

  “I staged it. Got a kid’s finger from the Beijing children’s morgue. The big bandage, the seeping blood, all faked. It wasn’t his pinky. Worked like a charm.”

  “I think I just decided to like you more,” Liza says, a broad smile now on her face.

  “Maybe so, but you should’ve told us from the start,” Amanda adds.

  “Nah, I wanted you both invested.”

  Amanda shakes her head and stares at Justin’s face, barely able to contain her satisfaction and joy.

  They finally approach signs of civilization—industrial factories bordered by paved sidewalks filled with bikes, scooters, and motorbikes.

  "This
is where I exit," Liza says.

  Amanda leans a bit forward to be heard in the front seat. "Wait, I thought you were going to stay with us all the way out of China, you’re our translator."

  "Nope, I never said I was leaving China.” Liza turns in her seat to face Amanda. “No one knows I have any role in this, so no one's searching for me, and I want to keep it that way. Ty, pull over right here, I'm gonna disappear into the masses.”

  Ryan looks at her questioningly, but doesn’t argue. He checks the mirrors again, sees no pursuers, and pulls off to the right, near a packed row of parked cars.

  "Liza, you’re the best. How long till you're back in New York?” he asks, his voice showing no emotion.

  "I don't know, I'm going back to our factory for now. I’ll lay low for a few days, handle some legit business, then I'll fly back. I'll get in touch once I’m back.” As Liza slides toward the open door, she pauses to look back at Ryan, and they fist bump. Then she smiles at Amanda and Justin.

  “Can’t thank you enough, Liza.” Amanda says.

  The door closes and Liza melds into the throngs of young Chinese workers already crowding the sidewalk.

  Charon watches the SUV stop on the video. He leans closer, and sees someone get out. He can’t see the woman’s face, but he watches the gait and concludes it’s definitely not Amanda Michaels, he knows her walk. Who is that woman? Seconds later she disappears in the crowd.

  Pumped as a prize fighter bursting out of the dressing room and taking the short trip to the ring for his biggest fight, he cranks up the volume on his earbuds and lets the music take control. It’s show time.