Qin exited the elevator at the bottom floor. Without a word, he crossed over the marble flooring through the lobby and left the hotel, emerging back into the stale, thick air. The tops of the skyscrapers disappeared into the sickly gray sky above, giving them an eerie appearance.
The valet approached with Qin’s car, a black BMW M6, and quickly jumped out, holding the door open. Once inside, Qin turned up the air conditioner to purify the air inside. The smog was better today, but he could still taste a trace of the metallic sourness on his tongue.
Once beyond the hotel grounds, he merged with the heavier traffic and headed east toward Xinhua, recounting the details of the meeting. Xinzhen’s posture had shown subtle signs of nervousness. And his seething for General Wei seemed somehow exaggerated. Qin knew of Wei. He also knew that Wei had been one of the least politically aligned military figures in the army.
He decided he was more surprised that Wei had somehow turned the tables on the Committee than he was over Wei’s suicide. Wei was a smart man, which meant he clearly would have understood that crossing the Committee would only be done by someone who did not fear retribution.
Qin thought again about the oddness in the old man’s seeming hatred for Wei. Particularly when considering that Xinzhen didn’t know what the General had been hiding.
In the penthouse, Xinzhen was back at the window gazing outward again. There wasn’t much time left. The government’s façade was beginning to crumble quickly now. The propaganda and misinformation were wearing thin and would only last so long. The real question was whether someone like Qin would turn something up soon enough. And whether he could indeed be trusted.
But Xinzhen had little choice. He had to take a chance, especially now. The price was simply too high, and as much as he would like to fully trust Qin, he couldn’t. He had to assume that Qin may already be loyal to one of the other Committee members, and if so, he wondered whether they somehow knew more than Xinzhen did.
It was why he didn’t tell Qin everything, including the sinking of the American research vessel or the details around the destruction of their own warship.
The Committee had potentially started a war with the United States in order for their ship to escape, but it was Wei who stunned them all by suddenly sinking both their ship and its precious cargo.
Nothing made sense. Why did Wei do it? And more importantly… why hadn’t the Americans said a word about the attack on their ship?
13
Langford looked around the table and sighed. The “war room” at the White House was in complete disarray and the situation was deteriorating rapidly. For those who believed the planning around potential military excursions was always careful and deliberate, in this case, they could not have been more wrong.
Langford watched Fred Collier, the new Chief of Naval Operations, show his frustration as he insisted that they were losing the opportunity for a swift and decisive counterattack over the loss of the Bowditch and its men. He pounded the table again, this time harder. Next to him, and not surprisingly, Sam Johnston, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, was in complete agreement.
Across the dark walnut table, however, Merl Miller, the Secretary of Defense, was not so sure. He and President Carr sat side by side, listening to the lengthening outbursts of both military heads.
Collier tried to regain his composure. “What I’m saying is that the political ramifications of us not acting are far greater than those if we do. They have directly challenged the sovereign power of the United States, and unless we show them clearly and definitively the repercussions of such an attack, our reputation and our resolve will be questioned by more than just China! Showing weakness now threatens the loss of our military supremacy. To other nations, this delay won’t look like deliberation, it will look like fear!”
He lowered both hands onto the table before continuing. “We know it was the Chinese and we can prove it! We have to release the information now before they begin distancing themselves with propaganda!”
“Agreed,” added Johnston. “The sooner we get NATO behind us, the better. China is going to spin the hell out of this. We’ve waited too long already.”
“Too long?” asked President Carr. “Too long? Do I need to remind everyone here that just days ago we thought we had been attacked by the Russians?!” He looked around the table. “I’d say it’s a damn good thing we did wait too long.”
“Mr. President,” Collier replied, jabbing the table with his finger. “It was my men who verified the Comp-B signature. There is no doubt in my mind it’s the Chinese. Zero!”
Carr stared intently at his Naval Chief. “Okay, let’s assume it is. Tell me, Admiral, how exactly does your recommended response differ now that it’s the Chinese and not the Russians?”
The question was like a dagger through Collier’s argument. There was no difference, and everyone at the table knew it.
“I hope I’m not the only one at the table that remembers our foreign policy with China is different than with Russia.”
Collier took a deep breath. “Mr. President, may I point out that the relationship between Russia and China continues to grow stronger by the day? It won’t be long before there is no difference in our policies.”
“Except being twice as big,” Miller smirked.
Collier slapped the table. “Which only underscores the need to respond now.”
Johnston nodded his head. “Agreed. The last thing we need is this turning into another mess.”
“Do you know what you’re saying?!” responded Miller in a raised voice. “One counter response after another, until we’re on the brink of war. Where do you think this leads if this time we start with a counterattack?!”
“Please,” Collier scoffed, “this is different. The Chinese have screwed up and they know it. They’ll back down when everyone else knows it too.”
“And what if they don’t?” asked Carr. “What if they raise the stakes instead? The Russians didn’t back down and we had all of Europe behind us. What if the Chinese don’t admit responsibility or back down? Are you suggesting we fight two wars?”
“I’m suggesting we won’t have to.”
Listening from the giant screen at the other end of the table, the Air Force Chief shook his head. “Trying to predict the actions of the Chinese is damn dangerous. We’ve been wrong before, and more than once.”
Collier looked up at the screen. “There’s a big difference between predicting monetary policy and military strategy, General.”
“Is there?” Langford asked.
“You’re kidding, right?”
Langford stared back at Collier. “I don’t think we’re in a position to predict anything the Chinese might do.” He turned toward Carr. “With all due respect, Mr. President, I think we’re losing sight here.”
“Explain.”
“We’re thinking almost exclusively in terms of retaliation. But I think we would be better served to think more about their intent. Remember, their Corvette ship was trying to leave port and we were about to ram the damn thing. But it’s likely the Corvette couldn’t have done anything even if it wanted to. Their hidden sub fired on the Bowditch defensively. If it were an offensive attack, they could have done it sooner, not at the last second. But they were there to make sure the Corvette warship made it out in one piece because of what it was carrying.”
Langford paused, making eye contact with everyone. “In fact, I’m not convinced they intended to attack the Bowditch until they had no choice. And if that’s true, this posturing is going to get us nowhere. It’s a sideshow with our only options being more dangerous escalations.”