Weapons

by Matt Rogers

  Slater pointed a finger in her face. ‘There we go. In the morning. So you’ve got time to tell us a story.’

  She sighed and settled back in the armchair. She maintained the same severe expression, but she regarded them with a cool respect.

  She said, ‘You two don’t fuck around, do you?’

  King said, ‘Tell us a story, Violetta.’

  She said, ‘What do you know about ying pai?’

  40

  King furrowed his brow and said, ‘I’ve heard that term before.’

  Slater said, ‘Oh, fuck.’

  King looked sideways. ‘You know it, then.’

  Violetta said, ‘They’re hardline Chinese nationalists. Ying pai means hawks, or eagles. They’re high-ranking officials in the government who want the best for China and China alone.’

  ‘We’ve got our fair share of those in our own ranks, though,’ Slater said. ‘I don’t think hardline nationalists are exclusively a Chinese thing.’

  ‘But we’re not dangerous,’ Violetta said, ‘because we’re on top. And we’ve grown fat and lazy by being on top for so long.’

  ‘Speak for yourself,’ King said.

  She shot him a glare. ‘You know full well that the pair of you aren’t representative of the whole country. If there were a thousand clones of you running America, we’d be on top forever.’

  King scrunched up his nose, and Slater shook his head.

  She said, ‘I know, I know. You’re not politicians. You’re not bureaucrats. But it’s the principle. You’re men of focus.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘And so are the ying pai,’ she said. ‘They’re the ones who see their entire lives as a long-term strategy to usurp the United States at the top of the food chain. They don’t care when it happens, as long as it happens. They’re supremely patient, and they’ll do anything to eventually establish dominance.’

  ‘That’s a bit theatrical,’ Slater said. ‘Let’s say they simply want the better economy. Why would King and I care about that? We’ve never given a shit about political squabbling and bickering. If they have a bigger GDP than us, that doesn’t matter to us. We’re not die-hard patriots, as much as you might like to think we are. We help people. At an individual level.’

  Violetta said, ‘And if their strategy to take over stayed long-term, I wouldn’t have approached you.’

  ‘So they’re getting serious,’ King said. ‘And they’re getting serious fast.’

  ‘Because they’ve sensed weakness. They’ve smelled blood in the water. We have every reason to believe that they’re moving fast, and any effort to establish dominance fast is always going to lead to chaos.’

  ‘War?’

  ‘Of course not,’ Violetta scoffed. ‘Could you imagine another World War in this day and age? There’d be nothing left in the aftermath.’

  ‘So something subtle, then.’

  ‘Subtle by today’s standards, in the sense that it won’t be explicitly traced back to China. But it’s going to be one hell of a ride to the bottom if they pull it off.’

  King connected the dots, piecing together what Williams’ had told him with the information Violetta was feeding them. ‘They’re going to crash the economy?’

  ‘That’s step one.’

  ‘What’s step two?’

  ‘We don’t know.’

  ‘Where are you getting your information?’

  ‘Trust me,’ she snapped. ‘There’s a limit to what I can say. You both have to believe me. I will tell you everything we know, but the process we used to get all this information is multi-faceted. I would literally be here all night explaining it.’

  King relented. ‘Fine.’

  She said, ‘We’ve plugged the leaks established by the traitors as best as we can, but we’re reeling. We’re not sure exactly what got out, and what didn’t. So believe me when I tell you I don’t yet know where I’ll be sending you. We’re scrambling to figure out exactly what’s coming, but when we do, you’ll be our enforcers.’

  King and Slater said nothing.

  She said, ‘Do either of you have a problem with that?’

  King said, ‘How bad is it going to be if we refuse?’

  ‘We have our own operatives,’ she said. ‘But … they’re not you. And you might as well take our protection, because the ying pai know about you.’

  ‘They do?’ Slater said.

  She said, ‘Who do you think ambushed you tonight?’

  ‘An army of white men. Maybe a couple of Hispanics thrown in the mix. I didn’t see any Chinese.’

  ‘They were hired guns,’ she said. ‘We’ve already identified most of the bodies. All ex-Army vets who were wronged or slighted in some way during their time in service. They had a collective subconscious vendetta against our country, and they were helped along by enormous bribes from unknown parties.’

  ‘You’re sure of that?’ King said.

  ‘We’re already looking at the accounts of the first body we identified. He was dishonourably discharged three years ago. And three days ago, an account in the Caymans wired him four hundred thousand dollars.’

  ‘Shit,’ Slater said.

  ‘They knew about you both, and they saw the opportunity to take you and Williams out in the same blow. Three birds with one stone. When it didn’t work, they sent more men to your penthouses.’

  ‘Who’s to say we’re safe here, then?’ King said.

  ‘Because now you have my help,’ Violetta said. ‘This building’s now on the highest security level imaginable. The old staff are out. If anyone comes for you, I’ll know about it in a heartbeat.’

  Slater said, ‘Why did they kill Williams and the other four bureaucrats?’

  ‘Because those five men were the voice of reason,’ Violetta said. ‘This is the preliminary phase. They’re actively trying to wipe out our countrymen who pose the best chance of being able to coordinate a resistance. Then they’ll go to the next phase.’

  ‘The economy?’ King said, skeptical.

  She said, ‘We have information on that, too. But one step at a time.’

  ‘And what might that first step be?’ Slater said. ‘Sounds like this is one big clusterfuck right now as you’re trying to work out what’s happening. You’re plugging leaks, and you’re lynching traitors. What are we supposed to do?’

  She turned to him. ‘Funny you should ask. There’s something we need to do, and I think you’re the perfect volunteer to oversee it.’

  ‘And what might that be?’ Slater said.

  ‘Do you remember Ruby Nazarian?’ Violetta said, and she watched Slater intensely for the flash of surprise in his eyes that she knew was coming. ‘She’s going to need your help.’

  41

  The last time Slater had seen Ruby, she’d had a knife pressed to Russell Williams’ throat.

  He said, ‘We’ve got history.’

  ‘That’s putting it mildly,’ she said. ‘You two were romantically involved, no?’

  ‘I wouldn’t call it that.’

  ‘You slept together.’

  ‘Says who?’

  ‘Her. When she debriefed us about everything that happened in the wake of the Lynx-program disaster.’

  ‘You tracked her down?’ Slater said. ‘You know where she is?’

  ‘She’s safe,’ Violetta insisted. ‘She was hiding from us for no reason. We don’t care what she does. We recognised our mistakes with the Lynx program, so we sent her on her way. But we wanted to know what happened first. That was one of the requirements.’

  ‘“Tell us or we’ll have to kill you?”’ Slater said.

  Violetta smiled. ‘Something along those lines.’

  ‘Where is she?’

  ‘Tulum.’

  ‘Mexico?’

  ‘We gave her a payout. For the trauma we inflicted. We felt the need to compensate her.’

  ‘You took away her whole childhood and turned her into a remorseless killer.’

  Violetta cocked her head. ‘I di
dn’t do anything. Russell Williams was behind that.’

  Slater said, ‘So she’s living large?’

  ‘I don’t think so. As far as we know, she has a spartan hut on the beach. Near one of the jungle resorts. She’s living a simple existence. Trying to find her way in the world. Build some sort of normal routine.’

  ‘And you want me to go pull her out of that?’

  ‘You’re going to have to,’ Violetta said. ‘If you care about her.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘We think the ying pai are targeting anyone at the elite level of government black operations. And we just found out that one of our traitors leaked her identity and location to an unknown party. It was… requested.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘You tell me,’ Violetta said, flashing him a curious look. ‘How good is she in combat?’

  Slater remembered her slaughtering government agents in a dark basement in the North Maine Woods using only a knife. She was lethal — impossibly agile, both graceful and violent at the same time. She was one of the most effective live operatives he’d ever witnessed in the field.

  He said, ‘She’s good. For all its questionable morals, the Lynx program did its job. She was the best graduate, and she’s got one of the most complete skill sets I’ve ever seen. And if the ying pai are making their move, then they’ll want her out of the equation. She can deceive anyone. She’s a phenomenal actress. I couldn’t believe my eyes when she rescued me in Colombia.’

  ‘She’s a seducer, isn’t she?’ Violetta said.

  Slater sensed … something. A hint of jealousy? Some suppressed competitive instinct?

  He said, ‘Yes, she’s a seducer. She does what you’re trying to do, only a hundred times better.’

  The silence was poignant.

  Even King raised his eyebrows.

  Violetta cleared her throat.

  She said, ‘I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.’

  Slater said, ‘It’s only fair that I treat you like a government handler — which you are. That means acknowledging reality, even if it means offending you. You’re here to get us do to what the government wants, and they sent you specifically for a reason. Why pretend otherwise?’

  She shrugged. ‘I’m self-aware enough to recognise my strengths.’

  Slater said, ‘I’ll go to Tulum, even though there’s probably Chinese mercenaries on the way there, and even though Ruby and I didn’t exactly part ways on the best terms. But I’ll only do it with the caveat that you take us seriously. If there’s intel updates, we want to know. We’ve been in this business before. We’re not amateurs.’

  King said, ‘What he said.’

  Violetta nodded. ‘Deal.’

  ‘Why do you want to save her, anyway?’ Slater said.

  ‘If China wants her dead, then she’s invaluable. If we’d protected Williams and the other four bureaucrats like we should have, then we’d be in a much better position to mount resistance. We can’t let them get these victories, no matter how small they might be in the big picture.’

  ‘That’s also why you’re here,’ King realised. ‘We’re valuable, because we survived the first attack.’

  ‘There’ll be more,’ Violetta said. ‘It’s best if you’re aligned with us when they happen. You were both excommunicated, but it’s important that we come together in times like these.’

  Slater nodded. ‘I can accept that.’

  ‘Find Nazarian,’ Violetta said. ‘Bring her to the States. You have the full resources of the U.S. government at your disposal. We think it’s best that you go on your own — you’re both notoriously bad at working with others, and you seem to have achieved your best success all on your own. So, Slater, you go do that, and King will stay here with me.’

  ‘And what exactly will we get up to?’ King said, barely masking a smile.

  She flashed him a dark look. ‘You’re on standby for when we find a target.’

  ‘A target?’

  ‘Some of the ying pai are in the country, and they’re actively working on a ploy to destabilise the economy. That’s all I can tell you. When we have a clearer picture, we’ll need you to smash heads together.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘We believe they’ve been cooperating with a firm on Wall Street.’

  ‘Which one?’

  ‘I can’t tell you that yet. But if it’s true, it’s not good. Not good at all.’

  ‘If you need heads smashed together, I’m your man. And in the meantime?’

  ‘I’ll debrief you.’

  King said, ‘Is that innuendo?’

  Slater shot to his feet. ‘I’d love to stay and watch you two flirt all day, but I figure it’s about time I met an old friend. How do I get to Tulum?’

  Violetta looked up at him. ‘However the hell you want.’

  ‘Okay, then,’ he said. ‘Fuel a jet.’

  42

  The apartment felt a whole lot emptier with just the two of them.

  King stayed on the sofa, and Violetta stayed on the armchair. Slater had left ten minutes earlier, after a flurry of activity as he kicked himself into gear. He’d made a number of requests, and Violetta had picked up the phone and dialled.

  Then she’d nodded confirmation and sent him on his way.

  King said, ‘Are you really getting him a jet?’

  ‘Whatever he needs,’ she said. ‘I told you — we value your contribution.’

  King said, ‘If China violently surpasses the United States on the world stage, there’s going to be a whole lot more consequences than a ruined economy. Why wouldn’t we help?’

  She said, ‘There we go. You’re getting the big picture.’

  ‘I don’t fully understand,’ he said. ‘You’ve been sparse on the details. Why are they doing this now?’

  She said, ‘They’ve sensed opportunity.’

  ‘Who are the ying pai?’

  ‘We’ve always had reason to believe they were a small portion of the Chinese government’s inner circle. We didn’t take the threat seriously. But it’s all starting to come together, now that we know it’s real. We’re beginning to understand the grievous mistakes we’ve made in the past.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘We were reassured that China’s booming economy would expand peacefully, and that no-one would be hurt. But we’re starting to learn that this was all a front — a deception. There has always been a plan to claim their spot at the top of the hierarchy. It’s a fundamental Chinese belief — that there can only be one at the top.’

  King said, ‘So the ying pai are China as a whole?’

  ‘No. There are moderates, of course. But they’re far less common than we were led to believe. It appears the hardline nationalists are winning the influence battle, and they think the moderates are fools.’

  ‘How did you not see this coming?’ King said. ‘How did a behemoth as big as our government miss this?’

  ‘Because they were playing the long game,’ Violetta said. ‘And when you’re at the top, like I said before, you get fat and lazy. But you also get impatient. You get short-sighted. China has been plotting this for decades. They’ve relied on our support and goodwill on many occasions by convincing us they were no threat.’

  ‘So what do you know about their overarching plan?’ King said. ‘Crash the economy, then…?’

  She chewed her lower lip again. Then she said, ‘That’s what scares us so much. That’s what terrifies me.’

  ‘It’s got to be something big.’

  ‘Something that will put them on top for good. They smelled blood in the water in 2008, when the financial crisis hit. But they hadn’t been expecting it either, so they didn’t have the courage or the tenacity to act. Our theory is that if they manufacture their own financial crisis on our soil, they can time it to perfection. They can deliver the killing blow as we’re on our knees.’

  ‘A little dramatic, don’t you think?’

  ‘Wait and see,’ Violetta mumbled. ‘Just wait and se
e.’

  They lapsed into silence, mulling over what was to come. King couldn’t wrap his head around the consequences. If what Violetta was telling him was true, then the scope was unfathomable.

  He voiced these concerns.

  ‘What are Slater and I going to do?’ King said. ‘I mean, if this is true, and the ying pai are responsible for most of China’s decisions on the global stage, then what are two above-average operatives going to accomplish? Sure, Slater can rescue his old flame, and I can sit here and keep you company — which I’m enjoying, don’t get me wrong — but what’s the point? We’re helpless to stop it if it’s happening.’

  ‘That’s not true,’ she said. ‘Every major incident in history comes down to a few isolated decisions, or confrontations, or altercations. If we have you on standby, and we have to succeed in a single incident, then we want to have the both of you close to rely on. Otherwise, we’d be taking a chance.’

  ‘You’re taking a chance no matter what,’ King said.

  She looked at him, unblinking. ‘Not with records like yours.’

  He said, ‘I’m only human.’

  ‘You seem to be invincible.’

  ‘Is that why you’re here?’

  She raised an eyebrow.

  He said, ‘Concerned about your own safety?’

  ‘If I was, I never would have taken this job.’

  He said, ‘I’m glad you’re here with me.’

  She paused.

  She looked at him again.

  She said, ‘Are you married?’

  ‘Isn’t that in the files?’

  ‘No. It’s inconsequential.’

  ‘Doesn’t sound like it’s inconsequential if you’re asking me.’

  ‘Let’s class this as personal time, then.’

  ‘So I’m not on the clock?’

  ‘Not as of this second.’

  He said, ‘No.’

  ‘No?’

  ‘I’m not married.’

  ‘Girlfriend?’

  He looked past her, out the window. He battled his emotions.

  He lost.

  He said, ‘Let’s talk about something else.’

  She said, ‘I’m sorry. You were flirting with me, and I thought … look, that was inappropriate of me.’