Her escort was female. A pretty young officer in the PLA. Probably one of the ones from the recruiting poster, Lena mused. The woman was all business. She didn’t break the silence as they marched through several sterile hallways and up two flights of stairs. Lena wondered how the woman had ended up here. Would this have been her own path, had she not been recruited as a teenager by Jinshan?
They walked up another flight of stairs and through a maze of hallways, each busy with uniformed men and women scurrying about. Every face looked exhausted and intense.
Lena’s escort stopped outside a door and knocked. A red nameplate on the door had five stars below a familiar name. Lena’s eyes widened slightly as she read it. She looked at the woman escorting her, who nodded politely, but there was no hint of recognition at the significance.
Lena’s escort was not aware that Lena’s father’s name was on the door. A man she hadn’t seen in twenty years. A man who had agreed never to see his daughter again. To give her up to China, so that she could be used as a sleeper agent.
And that man had apparently risen to be the highest-ranking general in all of China. Quite a step up from where he had been when she had left her home without so much as a goodbye.
The door cracked open. A balding colonel showed his face. “She may enter,” he said, looking at Lena. The escort bowed and departed, never uttering a word.
Lena had many natural gifts. These capabilities, both physical and mental, had given her an enormous sense of confidence. She had always been so sure of herself.
But her knees felt weak as she walked into General Chen’s office and saw him sitting behind his desk. The general looked proud as he watched her enter.
“Have a seat.”
The general indicated one of the chairs across from his desk. His aides left the room, leaving father and daughter alone in silence.
“Would you care for some tea?” He gestured to a tray that had been set out next to his desk.
Lena hesitated, and the general said, “Make us both a cup.”
“Yes, General.” The first words spoken to her biological father in over twenty years.
Lena rose from her seat and began preparing two cups of tea. Her father studied her as she poured hot water over dried tea leaves. A woody aroma filled her nostrils as steam rose up from the cups.
General Chen said, “It must come as a surprise to you, being brought here like this after all of this time.”
Lena interpreted the statement as an attempt to change the subject to her years spent in America. She was about to answer when the general continued. “Seeing me like this, I mean. In charge of the entire People’s Liberation Army.”
She paused, studying him. Then she nodded and continued stirring the tea. “You honor me with your accomplishments, Father.” She made sure to keep her tone respectful, despite the emotion she felt.
Long-forgotten memories of her childhood flooded her mind. She had served her father tea many times as a young woman. But she was a different person now.
“Inviting you here is my pleasure.”
The tone he used suggested that he considered this meeting something Lena should be grateful for. “After all, you are my daughter.” She paused again, and their eyes met briefly. Then she continued stirring.
Lena remembered from her upbringing that there were many underlying meanings wrapped into Chinese tea culture. Serving tea to her father was a sign of respect. Serving tea could also be a way to refresh a family bond. Or to apologize.
No. This was none of those things.
Lena sensed that there was no regret or sorrow in this man’s heart. His suggestion that she serve him should be interpreted as an assertion of dominance. As a reminder of his position. Why?
She set a cup down on his desk and then took her own cup from the tray. As she stepped away, Lena watched for the general to tap a few fingers on the table next to his cup. This was the traditional Cantonese gesture of gratitude. It never came.
He sipped his tea. “I understand you have served China well over the years.”
“I have tried to serve honorably, General.”
“The chairman speaks highly of you.”
The chairman. Of course. He was the reason her father was interested in her. And the reason he feared her, even if he didn’t realize it himself. She immediately felt her confidence return, her power over him evident in her mind.
“I am humbled that this is so.”
“Do you have any questions for me? Anything you require?”
Lena thought for a moment and then said, “How is my mother?”
The general’s face tightened. “She is well.”
They continued to speak like this for a few moments more, in uncomfortable, forced bursts of conversation.
She kept her gaze low, observing her father only out of the corner of her eye. Lena was intentionally carrying herself with a manner of subservience. This was uncharacteristic of her personality, but she had a keen instinct for danger.
While the military battles might be raging thousands of miles from these mountain bunkers, this was not a safe place. It wasn’t an American attack she should fear. Lena now resided in the lion’s den. Each flag officer and each elder statesman would be posturing for future position. To them, Lena was either a pawn or an obstacle. Even to her father.
General Chen seemed much more comfortable when speaking about himself and his achievements, which, according to him, were many and great. He also seemed interested to hear what Lena had to say about Jinshan, which she kept to a minimum.
“Has he promised you anything?”
Lena cocked her head. “Promised me anything? Like what, General?”
“Title. Position?”
“Jinshan knows that these are things I do not seek.”
The general’s eyes narrowed. “Of course not.”
A knock at the door. The general ignored it. He said, “Why has he summoned you here?”
Lena kept her mask on. “I have not yet been informed of the reason.”
Another knock at the door.
“Come in!” the general shouted, a hint of frustration in his voice.
The woman who had escorted Lena to her father’s office opened the door. She said, “Chairman Jinshan has requested your presence.”
“Fine. I’ll be there soon.”
The woman said, “Yes, General. And so that I may not be misunderstood, he requests both of you be present.” She bowed and left, the door closing behind her.
General Chen’s face grew a shade redder. Lena forced her gaze to the floor, not wanting to challenge him. She realized that while she had changed, he was the same man from her youth. His flaws were more pronounced to her now. Lena’s years of training kept her intelligence operative’s mind humming away in the background as they spoke. Documenting every word, noting every reaction.
If General Chen were an American and Lena had come across him in the field, she would have written up a report on him later and sent it to her Chinese handlers. This hypothetical report would have said something like, Top-level PLA flag officer over-indexes in characteristics of pride, ego, arrogance. Believe subject would be susceptible to appeals to his vanity and ambition. Due to his positional authority, subject has access to broad array of information and influence. Recommend immediate development into operational asset.
General Chen frowned. “So Jinshan has summoned both of us. Well, I suppose we shall both learn why you are here.”
Jinshan’s quarters were much larger than General Chen’s, but still sparse by his standards. Jinshan, through skill and government connections, had made himself into a multibillion-dollar businessman. This personal journey, Lena knew, had started as a simple cover occupation when he had been a low-level MSS operative. His superiors had had no idea what he was capable of back then.