Wolffe said, “Sir, we didn’t initiate an operation. We simply reacted. Dunkin was in the crosshairs of a Chinese team, and Pike stepped in front of the bullet. That’s basically what happened.”
“Then why the team? Why send a team?”
“Because you told me to prepare a platform for operations against China.”
“In China, damn it. Not Australia. And you’ve got that lunatic Pike involved. What are you going to do when he’s arrested? Claim diplomatic immunity?”
“He won’t get arrested. There is no crime scene.” Wolffe walked them through what Pike had told him, saying it was one more indicator of a concerted effort from an intelligence organization with robust resources. Meaning China.
“In short, this isn’t a JV team. You wanted me to explore options against the CCP, and I told you we had no thread. The Taskforce is a targeting organization, not an intelligence collection one. Well, now we have a target.”
The secretary of state, Amanda Croft, said, “What is it you hope to do? Why did you send a team to reinforce Pike instead of an extraction team?”
“Honestly, the potential breach with the F-35 program was what energized this. Pike actually asked for an exfiltration platform. After he told me what he knew, I decided to reinforce him. I can pull them back, if the Council thinks that’s the correct course of action, but Pike has a feeling for these things. Something’s going on down there, and he’s in the heart of it.”
Palmer scoffed and said, “Pike creates his own messes. We’re going to need the president to weigh in on this. We’re talking about mucking around in the backyard of one of our staunchest allies.”
Wolffe said, “Fine by me. I’m not freelancing here. You asked for a platform, and I’m giving you one. Brief the president, but make no mistake, as much as you might not like Pike, you can’t argue with his track record. But get it done quickly.”
Croft said, “Why? What’s the rush on this?”
“Dunkin is on the run. Pike’s going to protect him. That will happen no matter what the president says, and I’d really like some sanction here. I can’t in good conscience tell Pike to back off with Dunkin’s life in jeopardy.”
Palmer said, “Which is precisely why I didn’t want to use him. He doesn’t listen to his higher command.”
Wolffe shut off the computer and said, “He does listen. But what he’s hearing is the protection of the nation, not our hand-wringing. He’ll do what’s right, and we owe him the support to accomplish the mission.”
“Why? Why do we owe him anything? He went there on vacation, for God’s sake. If the president says no, he’s on his own.”
Wolffe said, “You do that, and you’ll regret it. You asked for this, and while I was against targeting Taskforce assets against a state threat—you were right. Something’s going on in Australia, and it’s bigger than your hatred of Pike.”
Chapter 23
Jake Shu found the correct platform, showed the conductor his ticket, then proceeded to drag his small carry-on into the train bound for Brisbane, wanting more than anything to just go to sleep. It had taken him an overnight hell trip just to reach Sydney, and now he had another train to Brisbane. Truth be told, he was growing tired of the effort. Initially, early on in his career, he’d enjoyed the thrill of doing something secret, but the travel for this one had become demanding. Why they wouldn’t just use an airplane was beyond him. He knew how quickly someone’s digital tracks could be found, and yes, being on a flight manifest would make things exponentially easier, but only if something went wrong.
If that happened, he’d increase his timeline by a couple of days, but that was about it. With his computer skills, he knew the incredible digital footprint each human emitted just carrying a phone, and because of that, he knew that in today’s interconnected world, they’d find him no matter what he did. It never crossed his mind that the men he worked for had no thought of his protection. They only wanted to protect themselves, and two days would work for them.
Jake couldn’t be faulted for that. After all, the United Front Work Department had been unfailingly helpful to him through the years. Their initial contact had been while he was an undergraduate at Stanford, eating ramen and running short of funds.
The scholarship he’d earned had paid for tuition and books, but he couldn’t eat class schedules or lectures. A Chinese exchange student had introduced him to a man who could help—someone who helped all students of Chinese heritage out of pure goodwill. At first, the man had simply given him a monthly stipend—enough to get him through undergraduate school. By the time he was at MIT, he’d become dependent on the income. And then the first requests had come in, and Jake had leapt at the chance to prove his worth. He’d wanted to provide a little payback for all the help his Chinese friends had provided, and most of what they were asking for was going to be published anyway. It wasn’t like it was a state secret.
And then the questions had become more aggressive, wanting information that wasn’t published. Wanting to know what was happening inside the labs at MIT. He’d initially balked, and the United Front Work Department had backed off, but the money kept rolling in. Jake had continued to soak it up.
Then they’d made another request, this time addressing not only the money, but his extended family in China, for the first time showing him the help he could facilitate.
Or the harm.
In truth, he wanted to do the work. Wanted to repay them for his success, and it ended up being an easy justification in his mind. He’d support himself and his family in China, even if he’d never met them.
After graduation he’d taken his first job in Silicon Valley, and he’d continued the relationship, spilling little tidbits on the way. Like the proverbial frog in a pot with the heat slowly increased, he’d been drawn deeper and deeper until there was no way to get out, but even then, the information he’d provided was easy. In the past, the transfer of technology had been a simple affair, done in his own hometown.
This one had been decidedly harder.
The drive to the east coast had taken twelve hours straight, and he’d had to push it to make his train connection in Sydney because he’d hung around in Adelaide to ensure that the interloper Clifford Delmonty had been targeted. Another first.
He’d barely made the train. He shuffled down the aisle wanting nothing more than to find his seat and go to sleep. The trip up to Brisbane was another overnight, but at least now he didn’t have to drive. He only hoped his seat would recline enough to give him a little rest. He didn’t give a thought to the contact he was supposed to meet in Brisbane. That could wait. They acted like they controlled him, but they did not.
At least that’s what he told himself.
Chapter 24
I flipped the channel on the television, mindlessly cycling through the shows and slowly growing bored. Well, more like antsy. Jennifer was next to me in the bed, but she’d fallen asleep in her clothes. I’d managed about four hours, but the jet lag combined with the events from the last twenty-four hours had caused me to wake up and stare at the television. I wanted to poke Jennifer in the arm, because I was sick of being awake by myself, but I didn’t. We were both waiting on Dunkin to wake up and tell us just what the hell he thought was going on, so it wasn’t fair to cause Jennifer to lose sleep just because I couldn’t rest.