“By how much?”
“Significantly.”
Natesh said, “What does that mean for us?”
She stopped in the hallway, the two men in tow nearly falling on top of each other as they halted. Lena said, “It means that you two will be here alone running things. I am needed elsewhere.” She looked at the site supervisor. “Do you think you can manage?”
The site supervisor nodded. He had been caught off guard when Lena had been taken prisoner. Lena had taken many risks in this operation, so she could forgive how long it had taken him to respond. But allowing two of the prisoners to escape with one of the motorized boats… that was not forgivable. She continued walking down the hallway, talking as she went.
She made eye contact only with Natesh. “He’s worried about the escaped prisoners. He thinks that they could alert the Americans.”
“Manning and Glickstein?”
“Are there any others that have escaped that I should know about?” She glanced at the site supervisor.
Natesh frowned. “Isn’t it highly unlikely that they survived the storm?”
Lena said, “Apparently not.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jinshan’s cyberwarriors believe that David Manning and Henry Glickstein were picked up by an Australian fishing trawler several days ago.”
Both men had shocked expressions on their faces. Seeing that only angered Lena more. Lena said, “Natesh, let me ask you, what is the main goal of the Iran operation?”
“To force a military conflict between Iran and the US.”
“And in order to do that, we will attack a target in Iran and link it to the US. Correct?”
“Correct.”
“So what’s the link? I can go to Iran tomorrow and kill someone important. That’s not my issue. My concern is the link. It takes a bit more time and effort to make it appear as though the attack was an American action.”
Natesh said, “I understand.”
Lena stopped at an entrance marked Medical. She held the door open and motioned for the other two men to enter. “After you.”
Inside, rows of empty gurneys and unused medical supplies filled the room. A single medical technician wearing green scrubs stood over a black body bag lying on a table.
The tech was a recent arrival. One of the several dozen new military men now inhabiting the island. The flights had increased threefold since the Americans had been taken as prisoners. The island was being stocked with soldiers, weapons, fuel, and supplies. The submarines were supposed to arrive in the finished pen next week.
Lena smirked at Natesh’s reaction when the medical technician unzipped the body bag. His face was pale. He had probably never seen a dead body before. Well, it wouldn’t be the last.
She asked the site supervisor, “Where did you find him?”
“Ma’am, he washed up on the beach, about a kilometer south of here.”
“How did this happen?”
“He drowned. The waves…”
“I realize that. I mean, how is it possible that he drowned?”
The site supervisor said, “Ma’am, it must have been when we were… the majority of my men and I… we were almost all on the other side of the island, rounding up the prisoners. He must have gone outside during the storm and got too close to the waves. A big surf like that can have a strong undertow. Perhaps he was sucked in.”
Lena leaned over the bloated grey corpse. “I doubt that. Tell me, would that have been around the same time that David Manning and Henry Glickstein stole one of your motorized rafts?”
The site supervisor looked at the floor. “I believe so.”
Lena looked toward Natesh. “What do you think, Natesh?”
Beads of sweat on his forehead. “I think it’s very likely that this was an intentional act of violence, and that it was related to the theft of the boat and subsequent escape of the two prisoners.”
Lena nodded. “I concur.” She was about to scold the site supervisor but Natesh spoke before she could.
He said, “Lena, I… I think that this could actually present us with an opportunity.”
“How so?”
Natesh said, “You need a link to the US in Iran. Tom was at one time an employee of the CIA. Even after he went into the private sector, he often did contract work for US intelligence agencies. While Jinshan’s network placed him in his In-Q-Tel job, no one knows that but us…”
Her smile widened. “I see. An interesting proposition.”
“Thank you.”
Lena said, “I will need to depart the island soon. Natesh, I ask that you ratchet up the pressure on our consultants. Expedite extracting any further required information. I will be in touch on our new timeline. Use the site supervisor here if you need help motivating the prisoners.”
Natesh looked hesitant at the thought of further violence against people he had come to know personally.
Lena said, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make another phone call before I leave.”
Philippe Shek looked at the picture on his desk. It was an image taken from his former home in the South of France. He was born and raised near Nice. He missed that part of the world. Interpol had had him stationed in Singapore for the past few years. Their innovation center. Philippe wasn’t sure what about police work needed innovating. You found the criminal element and locked them up — normally, anyway. Sometimes there were shades of grey and bargains to be made. But usually he locked them up.
His cell phone buzzed on his desk. “Shek. Yes, this is he. I’ll hold.”
“Hello, Philippe,” came the female voice. A voice he hadn’t heard in years. A chill ran down his spine.
“Lena. Good to hear from you again.”
“I have a request.”
“Of course, name it.”
“I’m going to send you two names. In a few days, these men will be wanted terrorists. I have information that they’ll be heading to Darwin, Australia. It is a delicate situation. I would appreciate it if you would handle this personally.”
Philippe said, “They will be wanted terrorists? Aren’t they right now?”
She didn’t answer the question. In all of Philippe’s dealings with Lena, she usually only told people what she wanted them to know. The same thing today. Lena said, “I would like you to apprehend them. Take them away for a while. And this is important — ensure that they don’t speak with anyone for a few weeks.”
Philippe frowned. He got up, closed the door to his office and sat back down. He spoke in a lower tone of voice. “When will they commit this act of terrorism?”
“I’m going to put you in touch with someone who will walk you through some of the details. Expect an email shortly. Things will be happening pretty quickly. It will be global news in a few days. I need these men to be apprehended as soon as they arrive in Darwin. Is that understood?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“It is imperative that they don’t speak to anyone for a few weeks once you have them. Bury them in legalities or jurisdiction. Do whatever it takes. I just need them locked up for a few weeks. No communication. Can you help me with that?”
He was taking notes. “I’ll be able to do that. Interpol is very good at creating complexity. I’m sure I can keep them locked up and alone. Are you going to make me famous, Lena?”
“For a little while. Yes.”
“And…”
“And you’ll get your usual fee.”
Philippe smiled. “I guess I better get on a plane.”
“Thank you, Philippe. We’ll be in touch.”