Tribble looked at him and said, “Not anymore. Not after that last meeting. Get him to the office.”
Thirty minutes later, Han Ming came into Yuan’s small office, looking aggravated. He said, “Why am I here? Why have you called? I have more important issues than some dispute with payment.”
Yuan said, “He wanted to talk to you. He’s finished the video.”
“Good. And? Why did this require me to come here?”
Tribble said, “I’d like to talk to you alone.”
Yuan said, “You might like a lot of things, but right now, just give us the video.”
Tribble kept his eyes on Han, saying nothing.
Han said, “Give us a moment.”
Yuan scoffed and said, “Why? Just make him give us the video.”
Han looked at him, and it was enough. Yuan stormed out of the room, leaving the two alone.
Han said, “What’s so important about this video?”
Tribble handed him a thumb drive, saying, “That video is good, and I’ve seen what’s going on with the last one I sent. The riots in Taiwan. The chaos in the streets. I see where this is going.”
“You see nothing. You produce images like a YouTube star. You get paid to make videos and nothing more. Remember that.”
“I get paid to help you with artificial intelligence. I have a program called Stargrazer. It’s very, very good for facial recognition, but Yuan thinks he can do better with his own people.”
Han said, “He’s done pretty good against the Uyghurs. Nobody is complaining about his data collection.”
“Mine is better. Maybe not for the Uyghurs, but for your other population. The one that uses social media.”
“What’s the point of this?”
“Taiwan is testing my program. Do you have someone inside Taiwan working for you? A high-ranking individual?”
Han narrowed his eyes and said, “Why do you ask?”
“Because the National Security Bureau used Stargrazer to find a man. I think he’s yours.”
Chapter 68
Jake Shu watched the shore grow closer, then saw Chen coming across the deck of the boat toward him. Jake had specifically stayed on the deck, away from the cabin, to avoid both Chen and Zhi—but mostly Zhi.
Chen said, “Just like on the dive platform, you act normal. We’re going to dock, leave this boat at the port, and immediately go to the airport. We’ll get on a chartered plane and take off. If you cause any trouble between here and there, I won’t kill you then. I’ll wait until we’re airborne, then throw you out over the ocean. Understand?”
Morose, Jake nodded, then said, “Where are we?”
“Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It’s a five-hour flight to Taiwan. That may be the only sleep you get for a while, so I would advise you to make the most of it.”
Jake was astounded at the level of effort they had put into this endeavor. It gave him a reptilian, prehistoric fear, because it meant that his data was something they wanted very, very badly.
He only hoped his life was considered as valuable.
After his capture in the canal he feared they were simply going to take him somewhere and put a bullet in his head. He’d been hustled to a rugby stadium, the lot empty save for a single car. He was shoved into the backseat, Zhi sliding in beside him and Chen getting behind the wheel.
They left the outskirts of Cairns behind, traveling up the coast, the surroundings becoming more and more rural. He had become convinced they were going to kill him here, in Australia.
He’d toyed with opening the door and jumping out at seventy kilometers an hour, taking his chances with the asphalt. He’d asked where they were going, and was told Port Douglas. He knew that was a lie. They’d told him earlier he was getting on a boat for a fake Great Barrier Reef dive tour from Cairns. Now he was sure they were simply going into the rainforest to bury his body.
His earlier panic rose again and he flung open the back door, causing Chen to jerk the wheel in surprise. He tried to leap from the vehicle and was yanked back inside by Zhi. She placed her nail against his neck, causing his bladder to release.
From the wheel, Chen shouted into the back, “What are you thinking?”
Chen turned on the child locks, preventing a repeat action, and Zhi said, “Let me kill him. He is more trouble than he is worth.”
Chen said, “No. He is necessary. He is as much of the mission as his data.”
Zhi said, “He just pissed himself. He’s a coward.”
Jake rolled his eyes from Zhi to the front of the car and Chen saw the debilitating panic. In English, Chen said, “Look, we are going to a boat in Port Douglas. We’re going to get on it and travel to a dive platform. From there, our own boat will come get us. I’m not tricking you. I’m not going to kill you.”
Jake remained still, feeling the nail on his carotid artery. Chen said, “Zhi?”
She removed her finger, allowing him to sit up.
Chen said, “Do you understand what I just told you?”
Jake nodded. Chen said, “The second boat is ours. The first is a commercial dive boat. It’ll be full of people. You must act natural at all times. No more panicking. No more acting stupid. We are in a partnership here. You will be well paid. Do you understand?”
Jake said, “Yes. I understand.”
“Good, because if you try to escape again . . . if I’m to lose you anyway . . . Zhi will cut your throat and throw you to the sharks.”
Chen tossed a rag into the backseat and said, “Clean yourself up. You stink.”
The rest of the ride went in silence, the sun finally cresting the horizon. They left the main highway, passing through the town of Port Douglas, ending up at a marina complex with shops, restaurants, and a giant trimaran boat next to a dock proclaiming “Quicksilver’s Tours.”
Chen parked in the designated lot and they boarded, along with seventy other patrons, Zhi glaring at him the whole time. Roughly an hour later the trimaran was docking on a double-decker Disney-like platform built over the reef. With swimming, snorkeling, dive instruction, overnight SCUBA trips, semisubmersible watercraft, bars, and a restaurant, it was a one-stop shop to see the Great Barrier Reef regardless of one’s skill set in the water. There was something for everyone.
Except for Jake.
They ordered a bite to eat in the restaurant, killing time while Chen continually checked his phone.
Finally, he said, “They’re here.”
They went to the lower-level dock for the transfer vessels taking divers to the overnight ship excursions and boarded a boat manned by an all-Chinese crew. Jake took a seat on the outside deck, staying away from Chen, Zhi, and the crew. Three hours later, they were pulling into the marina at Port Moresby in Papua, New Guinea.
Chen went back into the cabin, exchanged some words with the captain, then motioned to Zhi and Jake. They exited the boat and walked up the gangway to a waiting car. Twenty minutes later they were in a private jet climbing to thirty thousand feet. As Jake watched the land fall away, he realized he was now completely alone. Nobody knew he had left Australia. Nobody would ever come looking for him, and he had lost the last anchor of escape. Boarding the plane had sealed his fate.
Sitting across from him, Chen tapped his knee, bringing his face away from the window.