The Project 01 - White Jade

exists, since this would impact China ' s nuclear programs . W e needed more intelligence to inform us about Yang and his plans. The only way to get it was to go to the source revealed in the book. "
    " You sent a team into Tibet . "
    " Yes, Mister President. "
    " How were they inserted? "
    " B-1B and high altitude jump. "
    " Armed? "
    " Yes, sir. "
    " And? "
    " The team reached their objective and confirmed the existence of a previously unknown high grade uranium deposit, located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. "
    " Any complications? "
    " There was a confrontation with Chinese military personnel as the team prepared to leave. More than thirty Chinese were killed. The team was then safely extracted to India . They are arriving at Andrews as we speak. "
    The table was silent, all eyes on Elizabeth and the President.
    The President looked at Holden. " Were you aware of this operation, General? "
    " No, sir. "
    " How about you, Wendell? "
    " We were informed of the operation after it had been executed. "
    " Not aware, then. General Hood , you knew the details of this mission? "
    " I did, sir. The data was solid. We had to know if the ore deposit existed. "
    Rice turned to Elizabeth. " Why was I not informed, Director? " He was getting angry.
    " Sir, t he decision was not taken lightly. I felt deniability was a factor, as we were going into Chinese sovereign territory. Therefore you were not informed. It was my intention to brief you as soon as our information was complete.
    " I want to point out, sir, that I alerted Homeland Security to a potential terrorist threat. I also attempted to inform State regarding a possible coup in China , but was rebuffed. "
    " Who was contacted at State? "
    " The Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs. She was quite adamant there was no possibility of a takeover in China , or even an attempt at one. "
    Rice turned to his Chief of Staff.
    " Set up a meeting with State for tomorrow, and have him bring the Assistant Secretary with him. "
    " Yes, sir. "
    " General Holden and Director Lodge. Foc us your intelligence gathering resources on China . Look for indications a coup may be underway. General Holden, to address your request, I am ordering you to go to DEFCON 3. Director Westbrooke. Find out who is responsible for these terrorist acts. I want them identified. I want that now. "
    " Yes, Mister President. "
    " Joseph, stay at Elevated nationwide and go to Imminent on the West Coast. Follow our existing scenarios for terrorist attack. They should be adequate or we ' ve all wasted a lot of time since nine eleven. "
    " Yes, Mister President. "
    The presidential aide came in and whispered in the President ' s ear. Rice nodded and a uniformed army Colonel came into the room. He went to General Holden, said something in a low voice and remained standing behind him.
    Holden said, " Mister President, our satellites show unusual military movements in and near Beijing , in the central provinces and off the coast of the Chinese mainland. "
    " What kind of movements, General? "
    " I can bring them up on the monitors , sir. "
    Holden went to the computer banks and spoke to a technician. In seconds the pictures of chaos in the Bay Area were replaced with a series of live satellite photos . It was full day in China . The images were clear. General Holden stood by the monitors and indicated one of the feeds.
    " This is China ' s principle ICBM base, located in Luoyang , in the Eastern Central region. It ' s manned by the 80304 Unit of the Second Artillery Corps . We estimate they have 1 5 DF-5 and 25 DF-31 ICBM ' s targeted on the US and Europe . Average yield is around 3 to 5 kilotons per missile. The DF-5s are in silos. The DF-31s are on mobile launchers. They keep them in tunnels. "
    He indicated part of the picture. " Notice the movement of equipment outside the base. Th is is heavy troop transport and tank movement. The vehicles have blocked access to the facility and appear to be making a flanking or circling maneuver. "
    " Who commands that base? "
    " General Lu Cheng, sir. He is known to be a xenophobic hard liner. "
    Elizabeth sat up straighter in her chair. Lu Cheng was a member of the White Jade Society.
    " Have the silos been activated? " Rice asked.
    " Not as of this moment, sir. We'll know if they do. "
    Holden turned his attention to another live shot, this time of a large city.
    " This is Beijing . Again, you see extensive movement of tanks and troops . They're m oving