General Schwartz said, “What Mr. Manning said is precisely correct.”
“So China is launching their fleet across the Pacific?” the president asked. “Where are they headed? What’s the target?”
The National Security Advisor stammered, “Sir, it would be much too early to guess…”
The president pointed at David. “You. What do you think?”
David didn’t blink. “Sir, for a coordinated space launch and fleet movement this big, my guess is that this is the push further east we’ve all been waiting for. Their target could be the Hawaiian Islands, or our new bases at Midway or Johnston Atoll. The Chinese have already planted a small number of troops on every land mass in the South Pacific, transforming them into PLA Navy outposts. It’s even possible they’re making a push toward South America. That’s a very real objective for Jinshan, and one I don’t think we should rule out.”
The SECDEF looked skeptical. “Mr. President, I don’t think anyone can say with certainty. It’s also possible the Chinese fleet is just moving to increase their numbers around South Pacific islands they already hold. After all, it’s been nine months since the last major military engagement. Why would they make such a bold move now?”
David looked at Susan, who nodded. He said, “Sir, we know with certainty that the Chinese Ministry of State Security has operatives in Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia. Their infrastructure won’t be starting from scratch.”
The SECDEF said, “Having spies in a country is one thing, but having the necessary infrastructure to move a massive military throughout the continent is an entirely different matter.”
David said, “Sir, for years, Chinese businesses, which are all monitored and controlled by the Chinese government, have been building up infrastructure in South America. They’ve been investing in railway lines and roads across the continent. Chinese companies have been opening manufacturing facilities in South American nations, selling to their consumers, and using their raw materials. Before the war began, we thought they were only making these investments for profit. If you’re going to ship more goods and products across the continent, then building railways and highways makes sense. But these investments also provided the infrastructure to efficiently move troops, tanks, and supplies around the continent.”
“This is conjecture,” the SECDEF declared.
The president said, “Based on China’s actions last year, his argument appears to be on solid ground.”
The SECDEF frowned.
David said, “Sir, there is something else. Cheng Jinshan is dying of cancer. And our sources tell us that he’s taken a turn for the worse. He has a successor in place, but he’s very young. The PLA has been massing troops near Chinese ports for months. We believe Jinshan’s ultimate goal is to defeat and occupy the US. If Jinshan has received new medical information indicating that he won’t be around for much longer, that may be his motivator for taking action now.”
The president cleared his throat. “How long until we know for sure?”
General Schwartz turned to an admiral sitting in the back row, who said, “Sir, based on the position of the USS Michael Monsoor’s surface contacts, it would take about a month for them to cross the Pacific and reach South America. Maybe two weeks if their destination is Hawaii. But that doesn’t include delays if they face US resistance along the way, or if they take a longer route to try and avoid such resistance. They also might move slower to conserve fuel.”
“Three to four weeks.” The president stood up, and the rest of the room followed. Leaning forward on the table, he met the eyes of everyone in the room as he spoke. “Our country has been waiting too long for progress. It’s been eighteen months since the war began. I’m pleased that open combat has all but ceased. I’d rather have a cold war than a hot one. But I can’t help but think we’re stuck in a castle while the Chinese armies put us under siege politically and economically. I’ve got unemployment up another three percent this quarter. GDP is in the red like it’s never been. And our increased military budget is burning a hole in the deficit. I can’t keep asking our citizens to grow patriot gardens and buy war bonds. I only have so much political capital left.” He paused, standing straight and folding his arms. “We need a way to improve our situation.”
Then he turned and left the room, followed by a few of his staff.
General Schwartz turned to Susan. “We need that scientist.”
“Our best men are on it, sir.”
3
Chase Manning stepped onto the cobblestone road of Parque el Olivar de San Isidro. To his left, a duck pond was lined with a natural stone retaining wall. A light wind blew through the trees, ruffling the hair of the few locals sitting on a bench overlooking the pond. His eyes scanned them as he walked. Split-second discreet glances at each possible threat. Chase turned down a narrow path lined with tall trees, passing a large home with German architecture. He was almost finished with the surveillance detection route that would ensure he was clean of any observers.
Chase was still relatively new to these spy games. While his background in Navy special warfare had allowed him to transition pretty easily into the CIA’s Special Operations Group, shifting over to the world of espionage was an adjustment.
Susan Collinsworth, head of the Silversmith task force and a seasoned CIA operations officer herself, sought to expand Chase’s skill set by sending him to a months-long training course on counter-surveillance. In her words, “You are a talented operator, Chase, but a piss-poor spook. I’m merely trying to increase that classification to adequate.”
After several months of the CIA’s denied areas operations training, Chase saw suspicious-looking eyes everywhere he went. Possible Chinese agents on the park bench. Maybe a Russian operative pushing a stroller in the park. But Chase had to admit, he was a hell of a lot better on the streets than he used to be.
His brother David had undergone similar upgrades, although his training was designed to improve his abilities in intelligence analysis and strategy rather than street tactics.
Like most wars, this one was lasting longer than any of the “experts” had predicted, morphing into a cold-war-like stalemate, with neither side advancing to attack the other’s home turf. Minor skirmishes still flared up every so often, but both sides kept their moves quiet.
China was winning the political and economic war. The US had been forced to cede its presence in Asia within the opening weeks, which China used to spread its sphere of influence. Chinese diplomatic, military, and economic interests began to dominate the world stage.
Twelve months ago, Chase wouldn’t have needed denied areas training to operate in South America. Now, Chinese operatives were everywhere. Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia had each welcomed the Chinese military to station a small contingent of special operations troops within their borders. Russian and Chinese military aircraft were increasingly spotted on the military base runways of sympathetic South American nations. For months, Chinese intelligence agents had seeped throughout Latin American streets and institutions like termites boring their way into a wood house, destroying the foundation. Together, these moves paved the way for a future invasion that the intelligence analysts had been describing as “imminent” for months.
Chase checked the time on his Omega wristwatch and turned down the final street of his route. He was within two minutes of his expected arrival time. The safehouse was a nondescript two-bedroom home with a yellow exterior, small wrought iron gate, and a single bush out front, smushed between two nearly identical homes.