“Welcome back, Congressman. You and your guest may proceed to conference room A at the end of the hall. It will be just a moment.”
“Thanks,” said Joe with a smile. He finished his explanation. “Ebola is a high-profile example that you’re familiar with. As you know, it’s a zoonotic disease that’s difficult to spread, requiring direct contact with fluids from an infected animal or person. PREEMPT looks at Ebola as, well, let’s call it tame compared to other biothreats. Influenza and other airborne pathogens are more vexing. And then you have the vector-borne transmission of zoonotic diseases that are on the rise courtesy of mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas.”
Harper leaned in to her husband as they walked toward the conference room. “I’m impressed, Joe. You’ve got a tremendous grasp of this stuff. You have been paying attention to my rants at the dinner table.”
“I have,” he said with a chuckle. “Dad’s death has always made this a topic of importance to me. That’s why I’ve made so many friends in this field, like Dr. Reitherman and the folks at the DTRA and DARPA, including the gentleman you’re about to meet.”
“Your guy?” asked Harper.
“One of many, darling.”
They entered the conference room and Joe retrieved a bottle of water for each of them. Harper wandered along the wall of windows and took in the view of the surrounding area. Immediately below them was an Enterprise Car Rental location built on a postage-stamp-sized lot. Yet it contained three structures in which cars were stacked three rows high and removed by a massive lift. She was astounded by the technology. As she would soon learn, as the saying goes, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Darpa
Arlington, Virginia
Dr. Li Kwon’s entrance into the conference room was completely unnoticed by Harper and Joe. She caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye before he announced himself, immediately making her wonder how long he’d been standing there. She gasped slightly as she made eye contact with his dark eyes. Kwon was an imposing, mysterious man who could star in any action and adventure movie.
He locked eyes with Harper and then turned his attention to Joe. His greeting was simple.
“Congressman.”
Joe turned abruptly and greeted his guy. “Right on time, as always, Kwon. I’d like you to meet my wife, Harper.”
Kwon nodded. “Hello. I don’t shake hands. No offense.”
“None taken. Nor do I.”
Harper studied the man. Either Dr. Li Kwon was a humanoid robot, yet another secretive project of DARPA, or he had little or no personality. One thing was certain, she’d never met someone so intense. His black eyes were almost lifeless. Devoid of emotion. Piercing.
Joe, who knew Kwon well, was used to his demeanor. “Let’s take a seat and talk.”
Everyone pulled out a chair, with Joe at the head of the table and Kwon seated across from Harper. Harper was beginning to question whether the two of them would be able to work together. She reserved judgment until she learned more about him.
“Dr. Randolph, I’m very familiar with your work.”
Harper raised her hand. “Please, call me Harper. May I call you Kwon?”
“Yes, Harper. Absolutely. Even in Beijing. Li Kwon is a common name.”
“Is it your real name?” Harper asked with a smile. “I’ve had contact with some CIA agents lately who can’t seem to keep their names straight.” Harper was trying her best to add some levity to the conversation. It didn’t work.
“Yes, it is.”
Harper nodded. There was an awkward silence. It appeared she’d have to pull the words out of Kwon, so she got started. “Well, Kwon, I know absolutely nothing about you. First, may I assume you know what I’d like to accomplish in China?”
“I do,” he replied.
Great, Harper thought to herself. We’re up to two-word responses. If our adversaries ever captured this guy and tried to interrogate him, they’d end up shooting themselves in the face out of frustration.
“Okay, would you mind telling me a little bit about yourself?”
Kwon’s eyes averted to Joe, who provided him an imperceptible nod. Harper, however, picked up on the subtle interaction. She turned to her husband.
“Joe, am I missing something here?” She was perturbed and ready to get on a flight by herself despite her husband’s protests.
Joe took a deep breath and explained, “Harper, within our government, there are people like Kwon who, for all intents and purposes, don’t exist. Certainly, you see him, and he has a life outside of his work for DARPA, but there is no trace of him otherwise. No pay records. No personnel file. No Facebook page. No social security number. It has to be that way for his safety, and yours.”
“Okay, I understand,” she said, turning her attention back to Kwon. She tried to show some empathy for the man who chose to live his life as a ghost. “Kwon, you’ve made great sacrifices for our country. Far more than I would ever endure. That said, I need to feel comfortable that you can help me when the time comes. Are you allowed to tell me anything about yourself? I mean, the CliffsNotes résumé at least?”
Again, the eye contact between the two men. Joe nodded and Kwon began.
“I was born in San Diego. My father is Chinese and my mother is South Korean. Following high school, I enlisted in the Navy as a Seaman recruit. I completed Hospital Corpsman training and then reported to BUD/S training at NAB Coronado.”
Joe interrupted. “Harper, BUD/S is an acronym for Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training. It’s conducted at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado.” He then nodded at Kwon to continue.
“After completing my training at the NSWC, I reported to the JFK Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There, I completed the Special Operations Combat Medic Course. I was assigned as a Special Warfare Operator to SEAL Team 3, Charlie Platoon, in San Diego.”
“The Punishers,” added Joe.
Kwon nodded and continued. His voice and facial expression remained unemotional. “With SEAL Team 3, I obtained qualifications as a Military Freefall parachutist, Combatant Diver, Naval Special Warfare Recon Scout and Sniper, and was designated as being qualified in Advanced Special Operations Techniques.”
Harper raised her hand slightly. She turned to Joe. “Really? All of this is real?”
Joe smiled. “Trust me. Let Kwon continue. He’s just getting started.”
Harper shrugged and leaned onto the table, resting her arms crossed in front of her as she took in the rest of Kwon’s résumé.
“I was commissioned through the Navy’s enlisted-to-officer commissioning program following graduation from the University of San Diego. My rank was elevated from Seaman to Admiral – 21.” The Admiral – 21 was the U.S. Navy’s commissioning program for the twenty-first century designed to enable active-duty sailors to obtain their college degree and become commissioned officers.
“You’re an admiral?” asked Harper.
“No. It’s not the same. I then went to MIT and obtained my degrees in computational biology and genetic epidemiology. Afterwards, I began my medical internship in the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency program. I held a position as a resident physician in emergency medicine with Partners Healthcare at Mass General until three years ago when I was recruited by DARPA.”