The Project 01 - White Jade

it and think about it afterward. "
    H is words would never replace what Selena had left back there with that dead soldier by the wall, the moment she pulled the trigger.
    His earpiece sounded.
    " Nick, you there? "
    " Yes, Director. "
    " No sign of life at the complex. I think you got them all. You ' re minutes from Indian airspace and the Chinese won ' t follow you there. They scrambled f ighters out of Chengdu , but they won ' t get to you in time. "
    " That ' s good news. "
    " You 'll be landing in a restricted area on an Indian airbase. We have an understanding with the Indian government about using their facility. We don ' t want them to know what you were doing. A C-130 will be waiting. How ' s Ronnie? "
    " He ' s good. A thigh wound and some cracked ribs. The medic gave him morphine and he ' s a happy guy right now. "
    " Selena? "
    " She ' s fine, Director. "
    " What did you find? "
    " What we went for and more. We ' ve got our evidence, but I ' ll wait for the debriefing. Director, we made a mess down there. The Chinese aren ' t going to be happy about it. "
    " I ' ll worry about the Chinese. I ' ll see you tomorrow in Washington . I ' m signing off for now. "
    He leaned back against the armored plate and closed his eyes. It had been a long, long day.

Chapter F orty-S even

    It was 10:02 in the evening on July Fourth in Washington. Elizabeth sat in the coolness of the VIP waiting room at Andrews Air Force base, waiting for the team to touch down. A driver and vehicle stood by outside. She was thinking about the possible fallout over the battle with the Chinese . H er phone signaled a call on the scrambled circuit.
    " Harker. "
    " Director, this is General Hood . What is your current location? "
    " At Andrews, waiting for the team. "
    " There ' s been a major incident in California . Someone blew up three electrical sub-stations. Oakland , San Francisco , the peninsula, Sacramento and the Central Valley are without power . A large portion of Northern and Central California is down. The cascade is threatening to take out the West Coast. "
    " How did they get through security? "
    " We don ' t know. The attack was well coordinated. All stations went down at the same time. I ' m on my way to the White House right now. The President has called a meeting at 2300 and you need to be there . "
    " On my way . "
    " You ' ll be escorted to the Situation Room when you arrive. "
    " Who will be in attendance? "
    " The President, his Chief of Staff, the Director of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Advisor, CIA, Westbrooke from the FBI and General Holden from the Joint Chiefs. That ' s as of this moment. There may be others. "
    " What is the alert status? "
    " The President has ordered the military to DEFCON 4. There is as yet no indication of hostile intention from any national entity. Homeland Security is holding at Elevated Threat alert until we have more information. "
    " I understand. I ' m leaving now. " Harker stood and started for the door.
    " Elizabeth . "
    Harker paused mid-stride. General Hood rarely used her first name.
    " Does Rice know about your operation? "
    Elizabeth had briefed Hood earlier. He was an ally. If word got out about Tibet, she'd need allies. S he had decided it was best to protect the President, in case something went wrong.
    " No. I felt it better to wait. "
    " Watch your step in there. Heads will roll over this . "
    " I appreciate the advice , General. "
    " See you there. " The call ended.
    She dialed Stephanie.
    " Steph, there ' s a situation on the West Coast . I ' ve been called to a meeting at the White House. I want you to pick up the team. Get them out of sight and back into civilian clothes. "
    " Yes, Director. "
    " I ' ll call in when I know more. I won ' t be available for awhile. Hold down the fort until I get back. "
    " Got it. "
    Harker ended the call. The Project was handled. A few minutes later her driver was breaking speed limits and weaving through late night D.C. traffic toward the White House.
    Harker did a quick mental review of everything she knew about Yang and the operation. S he might need to explain why she 'd ordered a covert operation on Chinese sovereign territory. Some of the people who would be in that meeting had no idea the Project conducted black ops traditionally under the mandate of CIA or SOCOM. H er cherished low profile was about to evaporate into thin air.
    She looked out the window. They turned onto