The Project 01 - White Jade

Deng’s face gave nothing away of his thoughts, but he suspected more about Yang’s plans than the General imagined. Deng was not without his sources of information . It was necessary for personal survival in a position as sensitive as his.
    “ UNDERSTOOD?”
    Yang shouted in his face, sending flecks of spittle onto Deng’s glasses. Deng was shocked. He kowtowed, twice, nervously.
    “Yes, of course, General, two plans, as you suggest.”
    Yang grunted. “Keep me informed.” He turned to Lu. “I have to get back to Beijing . Ride with me.”
    Lu nodded and the generals rudely turned their backs and walked outside without a further glance at Deng . He stared after them and f elt a hot flush of shame. Everyone in the room was suddenly absorbed in their instruments and charts. No one was looking at him but they had all witnessed his humiliation. He had lost face.
    Yang acts like he thinks he can find resources to up production , Deng thought . Then what? More orders, more bombs, more threats. They have no respect . They have no honor. I might as well be dog shit under their boots.
    He marched into his private office and shut the door, his rage building. Enough was enough. He sat down at his computer, furious. He opened his email and sent a brief, innocuous, message to an address he’d never thought he would use .
    On the road leading away from the facility, Yang and Lu sat in the back seat of their vehicle. The salt flats of the old lake bed of Lop Nur slipped by in a blur, billows of brown dust trailing far behind the speeding car.
    Lu drummed his fingers on the armrest. “We must have more warheads.”
    “We will,” Yang said. “Once I give the order, we will have the centrifuges in six months. All that remains is to locate the ore.”
    “You are sure the deposit exists?”
    “Reasonably sure, yes. The location is being sought as we speak. We’ll have it soon. Meanwhile our plans go forward.”
    “I worry about Chen. We need the railroads.”
    “Let me worry about Chen. So far, he has done all that we asked. Of course, he may not get what he wants afterwards.”
    “What does he want?”
    “To be President.”
    Lu laughed. There was no mirth in the sound.
    “President! He deludes himself, as usual.” Lu paused, sneezed from the dust. “What do you think about Deng?”
    “He bears watching, but I already have full surveillance on him. Meanwhile, he continues to produce. For such a small man he builds big bombs, and they are getting better.”
    “Yes. One day we may see how well they work.”
    “The West is weak, they have no political will. When we have control, they will be afraid to do anything. Just the threat will be sufficient. Then China will step into her rightful place.”
    Lu nodded agreement. The two men sat lost in their thoughts as the car barreled along the gravel road, each in his own way contemplating a new China , dominant over the world.

Chapter Eight

    The security guard stared as Nick came through the door.
    " You okay, Mister Carter ? "
    " I ' m fine, Bob . Just an accident. "
    Nick walked ten flights up to his floor. He didn't like elevators much , not since Kabul. He went into his apartment and into the bathroom and looked in the mirror . The bullet had taken away the left earlobe . I t wouldn ' t do much for his looks when the bandage came off. A woman had told him once that he had rugged good looks. He got the rugged part, but he wasn ' t too sure about the rest. He didn ' t much care.
    He poured a whiskey , tossed his jacket on the couch and took off the shoulder rig . He needed to call Jordan. He thought about the FBI and the way the Bureau kept things close. He probably wasn't going to get much help there, but Jordan was a pretty good guy.
    " Jordan . "
    " Zeke, it ' s Nick Carter . "
    " Nick. I saw you on the evening news . What happened out there? "
    Jordan ' s voice was deep and vibrant. A big man, stone coal black , h e was a n anomaly for an agent , unafraid to speak his mind. Nick wondered how he'd lasted as long as he had in the rigid culture of the FBI . He'd made it all the way to the WFO in Washington in spite of everything.
    " I was catching a ride with William Connor ' s niece . T wo vehicles full of Chinese goons tried to grab her . "
    " You must have been a big surprise. " There was a pause . " What can I do for you? "
    " Yo u ' re the liaison for the Bureau on Conner's murder . Did you turn up anything we haven ' t heard about yet ? "
    " Funny, I was