She looked at her father and said, “Minister Dong met with someone recently. Someone he shouldn’t have.”
The next day, while on a flight to Russia, Lena pondered her predicament. She had decided to give her father only a partial summary of her discovery. A breadcrumb that would give her wiggle room while she decided which road to take.
She looked out the aircraft window, thinking of where this left her. Thousands of feet below was Siberia’s taiga forest, a vast land of tall pines and spruce trees. Mountains, lakes, and streams as far as the horizon. It was beautiful, and part of her wished to be there, clean and free.
“We will be landing soon, Miss Chou,” said the military aircrewman as he walked down the aisle.
She acknowledged him and checked her seatbelt, her thoughts returning to the binding chains of duty and honor.
Lena knew that it was dangerous to give her father any information suggesting Dong might be working for the Americans, unless she was certain how he would use it. So she hadn’t told him that she believed Dong was meeting with an American agent. She hadn’t even said that the person of interest worked in the Japanese embassy.
Lena had informed her father that Dong was meeting with someone in secret, and that she would have the person’s identity soon. General Chen was understandably dissatisfied with that level of detail, but she had promised him that she would meet with Dong in person and gather more information upon returning from Russia.
A personal meeting with Minister Dong would give her a chance to probe him. Lena would have to invent an innocuous reason to be granted an audience with him. She could say Jinshan wanted her to personally brief him on the outcome of her Russia visit. Before Lena decided what to do next, she wanted to find out whether Dong was working for the Americans or running one of them as a double agent of the MSS.
Lena felt the wheels skid as the aircraft touched down on the runway, a remote airfield in Siberia, mostly used by the president and oligarchs for luxury getaways. Moments later she was riding in the back of a four-wheel-drive truck as it headed up a winding mountain road. Gargantuan pine trees provided shade overhead as they drove.
The Russian president’s hunting cabin was magnificent. Spectacular mountain views. Ornate decorations. A mansion fit for a czar.
Upon arrival, Russian security forces searched Lena and escorted her into the home. Kostya met her on the back patio, where a wood fire burned in a circular pit surrounded by cushioned outdoor sofas. A wheeled food cart with drinks and covered platters rested nearby. Two waiters stood out of earshot, and dozens of security guards patrolled within sight. Many more out of visual, she was sure. The Russian military presence at the airfield had been impressive. A message. The Russian president projecting strength.
Kostya looked nervous when he saw her.
“Where is your father?”
Why would he ask that? Had he not been told she would be taking the general’s place? Lena felt the heat of embarrassment and anger rise up inside and silently cursed her father. His lack of thoughtfulness and poor communication might ruin the meeting, costing their nation an important military alliance.
She gathered her composure. “Unfortunately, General Chen had an unmissable operational responsibility come up. I assure you that I have all the necessary authority and knowledge needed to…”
“Lena, are you fucking crazy?”
She glanced over at the mansion doors. Some of the security men were now scurrying about.
Kostya said, “Our president came out here with the expectation that he was meeting China’s senior military commander. The only reason he agreed to that was because there is a chance your father might become vice president when Cheng Jinshan passes away. The moment you stepped off the plane by yourself, my president was notified. He almost left for Moscow right then and there. I did everything I could to convince him to stay, but now my reputation is at stake.”
“I understand.”
Outwardly Lena remained calm. She ran through her options. Her leverage hadn’t changed.
“Here he comes.”
Lena turned toward the cabin. The president and a few bodyguards walked toward them from the north wing. As they approached, Lena casually removed the pin holding her hair in a bun. She brushed her hand through her hair, allowing it to fall over her shoulders and hoping she wasn’t being too obvious. She also unzipped her jacket and discreetly unbuttoned the top of her blouse. Just a bit of cleavage. The Russian president was a man of virility. He appreciated beautiful things. Then she remembered the scars that ran from the side of her face down her body. They were healing, but still unsightly. She sighed.
“Mr. President, may I present to you Lena Chou, of the People’s Republic of China.”
The Russian president, his lips pressed together in an expression of boredom or frustration — Lena couldn’t tell which — nodded once. His eyes ran over her face, and then her body, if only briefly.
He spoke to her in Russian. Lena spoke several languages, but Russian was not one of them. A translator stood between them, relaying the conversation in Mandarin.
“The president wants to know why General Chen has not shown up.”
Lena explained and apologized profusely, then said, “I have been given full authority to speak on my nation’s behalf.”
The Russian president spoke more, and the translator said, “How much longer until China gets a new leader?”
Kostya looked at her.
“Soon,” she said, staring into the Russian leader’s blue eyes.
The president began speaking in heavily accented English. “You were an intelligence officer. You were the one who was placed in the CIA, yes?”
Lena nodded. “Yes, Mr. President. Like you, I was an intelligence officer.” A stroke to his ego.
A glimmer in his eye. His chin rose up a touch more as he said, “It is cold. Let us sit by the fire and discuss how we may work together.”
They ate as they spoke. Servants brought trays of tapas and expensive wine, but Lena refrained from the latter. The more the Russian president drank, the more his eyes slipped to her cleavage. But it was her words that truly helped her cause. She was an expert at manipulation. Convincing men of power to do things for her.
Two hours later, the Russian president finished his drink and stood. Lena and Kostya stood with him.
The president said, “I am pleased with our discussion. I see that there are ways in which our nations can work together for mutual benefit. But the fact remains: General Chen was supposed to meet with me. He chose not to, and that is a sign of disrespect.”
He stared at her, and for a moment Lena thought he was going to say the deal was off. But then he continued, “If your country wants to send you as its representative, fine. So be it. From now on, Russia will work with China through you, and only you. No matter who is in charge of your country, all Russian assistance will now flow through you, Miss Chou. Is this clear?”
Lena said, “Absolutely, Mr. President. I will pass along your message to my leadership.”
23
Chase traveled by C-17 from the US to Mexico City International Airport. For all intents and purposes, Mexico’s four largest airports had been handed over to the US military. Air traffic control was now run by the US Air Force, and all flights had to be approved by the SOUTHCOM Air Operations Center (SAOC) flight schedule. Very little commercial traffic existed here anymore, but the airport was filled with a steady flow of military transports, fighters, and helicopters conducting round-the-clock flight operations.