The Project 01 - White Jade

Pennsylvania Avenue and neared the traffic barriers marking the outer security zone for the White House.
    Her vehicle was passed through the security checkpoints. They stopped at a side entrance of the White House, away from the cameras watching the front for signs of newsworthy people or activities. She was met by two secret service agents wearing dark suits and earpieces . They had Glocks clipped to their waist in fast draw holsters .
    " Director Harker? "
    " Yes. "
    One of the agents handed her a badge to clip onto her lapel.
    " Follow us, please. "
    This part of the White House was unfamiliar to her. She followed the agents down a long hall lined with period paintings of the nineteenth century. The walls were light beige . T he lighting was subdued . The carpet was soft under her feet.
    T he Situation Room was located in the basement of the West Wing. A few turns and a short flight of steps down and she found herself at the entrance. A secret service agent stood by a lead lined cabinet at the door.
    " May I have your phone, please, Director? "
    Harker turned off her phone and handed it over. The agent placed it in the cabinet with several others. She wasn ' t the first to arrive.
    " Do you have any other personal electronic devices with you? "
    " No, that ' s it. "
    " If you need to make a call, please use one of the booths. "
    A row of wooden phone booths st ood along the wall, modern echoes of the 1950s.
    " Thank you. "
    Inside, a long conference table took up the center of the room. It was flanked by wide brown leather chairs. Blank television monitors covered the wall at the far end. Two tiers of computer terminals were set off to the side, manned by Air Force technicians.
    T he National Security Advisor was in animated conversation with General Holden, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Director of National Intelligence. Half way down the table General Hood was talking with the Acting Director of the CIA, Wendell Lodge. Harker knew Lodge well from previous encounters.
    Lodge was old school . Yale, Skull and Bones, five foot ten and elegant in a gray Brooks Brothers suit and college tie. Career CIA, he was 60 years old. His hair was tailored white, with the look that came only with regular four hundred dollar haircuts. His face was rosy and flushed, lending him a kindly, avuncular air that had deceived many a politician or underling.
    Harker knew Lodge was nobody ' s uncle, kindly or otherwise. He demanded absolute obedience from his subordinates and never forgot or forgave a personal slight or a professional mistake. His boss was in Bethesda Hospital on life support . Lodge was about to step into the DCI slot unless the political process blindsided him with someone from outside the Agency.
    General Hood beckoned her over.
    " You know Director Harker, Wendell. "
    " Elizabeth , " Lodge said, " nice to see you again. I hear you ' ve been up to something with our Chinese friends. Was your operation successful? "
    He smiled, but Harker wasn ' t fooled. She remembered Hood ' s warning that someone ' s head would roll. Lodge would be one of the executioners manning the guillotine if it came to that.
    " It ' s good to see you, too, Wendell. "
    " We were just talking about your theory a coup in the PRC is tied to what ' s happening in California . We haven ' t picked up any indications of a takeover scenario at Langley . "
    By using the word theory Lodge was letting her know he was not convinced a coup was in progress or relevant to the current situation. It didn't matter that he had to know of Deng's warning about General Yang.
    It was CYA time, and Lodge was a master of the game. Elizabeth wasn ' t surprised. No one wanted responsibility for being caught unawares by a terrorist attack of this magnitude.
    " I suspect that will come up today, " Harker said. " Whether or not a coup is actually being planned, I believe the Chinese are behind whatever is happening in California . "
    " I hope you can back that up, Elizabeth . That is a serious allegation. "
    Harker decided to feed him a little information.
    " You are familiar with General Yang Siyu? "
    " The head of Chinese MI? " Lodge gave her a look of interested attention.
    As if he doesn't know exactly who I mean, she thought.
    " The same. In cooperation with the FBI, we have established that General Yang has been plotting with the Chinese Triads on the West Coast. We tracked payments amounting to four hundred million dollars from Yang to the Triads . The money