“Trim for ascent, surface the boat, we will pick you up.”
“Surface the boat Aye sir.”
Nathan walked out on the predawn deck it would break soon already the sky to the east was becoming pale. Frank Pike sat in an inflatable, it pulled alongside, and he climbed in. The small boat pulled away. “Got a bit hot back there Nathan, I heard you drop two of them but there was a third explosion?”
“Yeah, he tried for us but he hit poor Scooby one of our drones. God rest his soul.” Pike smiled, the Americans got so attached to these drones. They treated them almost like pet dogs.
“Well here we are,” Pike held his hand out. Nathan hadn’t noticed, on the surface around 50 yards away was an SSN, low in the water its sail standing tall.
Frank Pike nodded his head. “The Suffren, an SSN of the Marine Nationale, we’ve been invited to breakfast.” The two of them climbed down the inside sail ladder and stood on the companionway. There were greeted by a balding man with soft but intelligent brown eyes.
“Welcome to Suffren, I am Captain Manaudou, we will take breakfast in the wardroom.” He spoke to a sailor, “Trois croissants confiture et café.”
The three of them sat and had croissants, jam and coffee.
After they’d finished the Frenchman placed the palms of his hands on the table.
“Now to business, we are part of your squadron now,” said Manaudou.
“Nathan has spent more time out here than any of us, so go ahead,” smiled Pike.
Nathan looked around the table at his fellow commanders.
“We divided their fleet, bringing part of it down this way to protect Hainan. We can ignore those now. The main threat is off Taichung City and western Taiwan. Gentlemen, our task is simple but difficult. We must destroy the People’s Liberation Army Navy invasion fleet.”
Chapter 15
May Hsin checked into a reasonable hotel in Beijing. She walked out into the city in her civvies, it was a bit chilly out there in the night. She stopped at an auto teller and took out her Huaxia Bankcard and withdrew the full amount allowed her. Her first port of call was a market mall where she bought a long dark blue coat with a hood. May had NSB contacts in the city and considered getting a pistol, but she thought it could be more trouble than it was worth. May did visit a stall selling knives. There where all manner of them, short, tiny, stupidly large and useful ones, the owner asked her what she wanted.
“It’s for self-defence.”
“We can help. I know a man who will provide lessons for ladies.”
“I don’t need lessons, I lived in America, Chicago,” she made out she had a machine gun, “rat, tat, tat, tat.” He smiled. May knew they had all seen gangster movies and believed that Chicago was still like that today. She told him what she wanted. He pulled out a suitable knife and got out a scabbard from the back. They were both embossed with Korean script, south she knew by the quality. May took them and strapped the scabbard to her lower left leg covering it with her trousers. She paid him and tipped him, she left a grinning store owner. “James Bond.” He grinned. She smiled and left the market.
She found a food market and took a meal at a table. Fabulous food, May downed a couple of stiff dark Rums. It would be a big day tomorrow.
MAY WAS UP EARLY, SHE walked down the road among the hundreds of commuters, she wore the PLAN Lieutenant Commanders uniform covered by the new dark coat. She waited at the stop. A few minutes later a bus stopped, she climbed on, it was heading for the Haidian District to the northwest of the city centre. She got off at her stop and walked by the walls of the large compound of buildings at Xiyuan. MSS headquarters is in Beijing centre in the Dongcheng district, but this was the sharp end. May felt nervous, very nervous. This was, on the face of it, stupidity, but she knew it was the only way. She saw the entrance approaching further along the sidewalk, she took off the coat and discarded it. At the entrance, a large two lane opening in the wall she showed her MSS pass. The guard let her in. She knew the approximate direction, it was five streets down and turn right. There were others walking from building to building. She could have been in an office district in any Far Eastern city, instead here she was in the very Vipers nest she’d worked against for years. At the end of the short road was a two-story cream painted rendered building. A sign said Bureau 4, she guessed there was no point disguising its identity in here. She opened the glass doors and walked over to the receptionist.
“Yes?”
“Morning, she smiled, “I’m here to see Ling Shiming. He won’t be expecting me.”
“Could I see your identity pass please?”
May fished in her inside pocket and pulled out her NSB pass card her MSS pass and a USB memory stick. She placed them in front of the receptionist.
The woman gasped. May had to smile.
“Just a moment Miss Hsin.” She picked up the phone and said, “Code 8, reception.”
“Just wait there someone will see you.” Shortly two men appeared.
“Come this way please.” They collected her pass and the stick and led her down two corridors. A door was unlocked, and she was led inside the white walled room. There was a table in the centre, a long mirror to the left and several chairs. She noticed a stretcher like table on wheels with straps obviously for hands and leg restraints. A table with a telephone and a computer sat by the rear wall. It looked like a pretty standard interrogation room. There were similar at the NSB HQ in Taipei. The older man pointed for her to sit. He wore green rimmed glasses and sat opposite, the other younger man sat to his side. The older man looked at her passes. As he looked a smirk formed on his face.
“What’s on the stick?”
“You’ll have to take a look.” He passed the stick to the younger man who started up the PC. The older man just looked at her with a cold unflinching stare.
“Here we are sir.” The screen showed several pictures of her in the grounds of the NSB headquarters with Director Chen Huo. There was also a short video of her walking with him.
“I’m May Hsin, I’m a member of the NSB as you can see and I’m here to see Ling Shiming.”
“And which Division are you with?”
“Division one, international intelligence.” He raised his eyebrows.
“So not Division two, the People’s Republic of China spies?” She shook her head.
“Why are you here?”
“As I said, to see Ling Shiming.”
“Miss Hsin, you will wait here.” The two of them took the passes, the stick and left, locking the door behind them. She looked around the room, in front of her was obviously a one-way mirror, they’d be watching her now. I’ll bet they’re shocked, an NSB Officer’s not likely to have done this before. No wonder, they’d need to be as mad as me. Or as desperate.
Sometime later over an hour May thought the door opened, the two men returned. The younger man carried a blanket.
May, we have some questions to ask you. Stand up.” She stood, what was going on?
“Take your clothes off.” She considered refusing but knew she’d be forced anyway. She took off her shoes, Uniform jacket, under shirt and trousers. May stood in her underwear. She stared at them in defiance.
“The rest of them, all off,” said the man in green framed glasses. Bastards, she knew there was no point resisting they’d just force her.
“Would you like me to do a striptease for you? You’d like it.” May forced a smile.
“No, off now.” She took off her bra and panties and set them carefully on the table.
“On the bed.” He pointed to the stretcher table with the hands and legs. She climbed on and lay back. The restraints were fastened. She tried her best not to think of her situation. Naked, under restraint with the MSS Officers in their secure compound. They wheeled the table back towards the wall. The young man dropped the blanket over her face. “What?” A tap was turned on, she hadn’t noticed that. Water was played over the blanket, soon soaked through. Water was trying to force its way into her mouth as they pushed the hose down around her mouth. She knew what it was, waterboarding, the bastards were trying to torture something from me. She held firm. It went on too for long, her chest heaved and shook, still the water came. They stopped and pulled the blanket away. She drew downdrafts of precious air.