Clean Copy E-Book

R.R. Brooks

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Peter Valois is about to make history. A scientist on a hot project, his days consist of recording brains and sending the files into robots for "conditioning". His plan is to use the results to fix their behavior, and then use the same method with humans.

Peter's been on the straight and narrow and everything is going well, until problems with his teenage son force Peter out of his comfort zone. His scheme to save his son backfires when his cutting-edge research attracts the interest of someone who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

In danger of losing his son, his research, or both, Peter soon has to make drastic choices. But how much is he willing to sacrifice, and is there a way out?

Leseprobe

CLEAN COPY

R.R. BROOKS

Copyright (C) 2021 R.R. Brooks

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2021 by Next Chapter

Published 2021 by Next Chapter

Edited by Brice Fallon

Cover art by CoverMint

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author’s permission.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Prologue

I. Opportunity

1. Antoinette

2. The File

3. Opportunity

4. The Xianxingzhe Group

5. The Offer

6. Agreement

II. Cybernetic Implementation

7. The Scientist

8. The Boss

9. The Company

10. The Rat

III. The Valois Family

11. Dan Valois

12. Pam Valois

13. Gerry O’Rourke

14. Megan O’Rourke

15. Plans

16. Candidate

17. Vetting

18. Carlos

19. Dinner

20. Crisis

IV. Solutions

21. Two Schemes

22. The Dog

23. Conan

24. Weekend Visit

25. Caught

26. Intervention

27. Solution

28. Incentive

29. School Visit

V. Action

30. Kidnapping

31. Contact

32. Blackmail

VI. Reaction

33. Dates

34. Orders

35. Suspicion

36. Mark

37. Conviction

38. Evidence

39. Revelation

40. Payment

VII. Results

41. Regrets

42. Hope

43. Pursuit

44. Four’s Company

VIII. Balance

45. Freedom

46. Integration

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About the Author

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author acknowledges the useful criticism of two groups in honing this thriller-science fiction tale with an espionage plot. Authors Rob Jacoby, Frank Robinson, the late Lenny Bernstein, and Tom Hooker of The Appalachian Roundtable critique group provided detailed feedback on characters, plot, dialog, and pacing that slowly and surely helped craft the story. The Blue Ridge Writers Group heard sections read, providing diverse feedback. My wife Sherry read the manuscript after it was re-worked. Her suggestions, as usual, fixed and improved. Her encouragement and support never wavered. The author thanks all these people who helped improve the novel.

The novel is dedicated to scientists who do the hard work of day-to-day experimentation, as well as those who design next steps and try to make sense out of the results.

This is a work of fiction. All characters are imagined. Any resemblance to a person living or dead is coincidental. While research into artificial intelligence continues to stride forward, the idea of recording brain files of living organisms and conditioning them is imaginary.

PROLOGUE

Jun Wu, a petite woman in her thirties, had just stepped from her post-breakfast shower and wrapped a towel about herself when the phone rang. She left wet footprints on the tan bedroom carpet and picked up the receiver. When it turned out to be her boss, Jun tried to sound dignified.

She rubbed the towel end over her short black hair and listened as Peter Valois explained the unusual call at such an early hour. After a moment, Jun said, “I’m fine, Peter.” She paced around her queen-sized bed and listened to more explanation from the phone. “A premonition? About what?” She glanced at the clock and pulled the red bedspread straight. “Danger? Well, I’m not in any danger as far as I can tell,” Jun said in a calm voice. Except for catching pneumonia, she thought. “Everything is normal, it’s a beautiful April day up here, and I’m getting ready to leave.”

Jun lodged the phone between her shoulder and ear, dropped the towel, and went to the dresser. “Your premonition makes no sense. You don’t know what the danger is or where it lies. Maybe it’s something in the lab.” From the closet she grabbed the day’s outfit and threw it onto the bed and then shifted the phone to her other ear. “I’ll be extra careful, but I’ll be an hour or so late. I have to see an insurance agent.”

She hung up, wondering what that was all about. The boss had called her at home before, but never at this early hour. Strange. A thought crossed her mind. Was there a connection between Dr. Valois’s intuition and her not-so-pleasant conversation with the insistent guy from the Chinese Scholars Association? She, like any other educated person of Chinese descent, knew the Association was one of many dedicated to transferring technology to the motherland. Jun didn’t feel her position in a company doing classified work for the U.S. government allowed her to consort with agents of the People’s Republic of China, and she said so. Insistent guy had asked her to collect technology and wasn’t happy with her answer.

Two men sat in a black Suburban parked in front of the vacant lot near Jun’s house in the San Diego hills. Most of the lots in the new development had FOR SALE signs, so it was possible the occupants were considering a purchase. In fact, Yingyi, a wiry Asian with a cheek scar, and Morgan, a big-fisted, muscle-bound Caucasian, watched Jun’s small bathroom window and the front door.

Both men were employees of Xianxingzhe Group of Beijing, a leading R&D outfit in China. The conglomerate competed with Jun Wu’s employer in robotics and needed something from Jun’s boss.

“The bathroom light just went out. Ms. Wu, she of the small but shapely ass, will soon emerge on schedule as usual,” Yingyi said as he lowered the field glasses. “Seems a shame to waste such fine assets without putting them to some use.”

“Shut up,” Morgan said. “I don’t think you could fuck the broad and still make this look like an accident. She just passed the front window. Mighta noticed us.”

“So what. We’re prospective buyers looking at real estate. We’re just part of the normal scenery, and if Ms. Wu is alarmed, that’s a real shame. A frightened rabbit is more fun for the hunter.” Yingyi donned reflective sunglasses and smiled. This operation, part of a larger plan, was his boss’s idea, and he was glad at last to be doing instead of planning. There’d been months of that. He finally felt alive. He interlaced his fingers and stretched his arms.

“Too bad it’s bright and sunny,” Yingyi said. “Rain and wet pavement would make an accident more believable.”

Minutes ticked by as the two men drank the remains of their lukewarm coffee. They dropped the cups into a plastic bag when Jun emerged from the house and approached her compact, beat-up Toyota.

Jun smoothed her tan skirt and adjusted her sunglasses, smiled in the direction of the Suburban, and got into her car. She started the motor and lowered the windows, took time to maneuver the rearview mirror, studied the men in the black vehicle, and then backed from her driveway.

“Punctual as usual,” Yingyi said. “And neatly dressed.”

Morgan let Jun get half a block away before he started the Suburban and followed. He stayed back at a non-threatening distance until they reached the steep, twisting road that led to the main highway. When the switchbacks began, Morgan drew close. Jun glanced in her mirror and swerved off the pavement.

“That’s just normal driving for her,” Yingyi said. “Let her be nervous.”

Morgan got near the Toyota, as if he wanted to pass. Up ahead was a stretch that had no shoulder.

“We’re coming to the place,” Yingyi said.”

Jun accelerated, but Morgan kept pace, and then retreated. Yingyi saw the woman reach over to something on the dash. Distractions cause accidents, he thought.

The next section curved around a steep hill. A cable strung between metal posts separated the narrow shoulder from a rock-strewn ravine. Morgan had made sure the cable was slack and low, too low to prevent a car from flying over the edge. And Jun was on the downhill side. The Toyota’s tires squealed in a hard turn.

A yellow sign indicated an S-shaped curve and recommended twenty miles per hour. Jun slowed some, and Yingyi waved Morgan forward. Now the woman might suspect that her pursuer was not just a bad driver. The little Toyota kicked gravel as it strayed off the pavement.

The Suburban kissed the Toyota’s bumper. Jun left the road again with another blast of tire on rocky dirt. This time she yanked the wheel to the left and took her foot off the accelerator. Morgan nudged the smaller car with the brush bar on the front of the Suburban. Jun went off the road but somehow managed to maintain control. The SUV backed off and sped forward again. This time it did not contact the rear bumper. It swung into the opposite lane, came alongside, and pushed Jun to the right. The much heavier vehicle shoved the Toyota off the blacktop, and as the road curved, the smaller car faced open air.

Jun screamed as her sedan flew past the cable barrier. The undercarriage caught the wire, and the Toyota held for a moment. With a screech, the vehicle broke free, and the rear tires rolled over the cable. The front end bounced once on the slope before the drop-off, and then the car somersaulted into the abyss. Wheels spinning, the Toyota landed roof-down with a crunch of metal, its feeble horn wailing. A few rocks bounced off the undercarriage, and then there was silence.

The Suburban pulled to the side, and the men strode back to the now flattened guard rail. Morgan took off his dark glasses and gazed at the belly of the Toyota far below. “What do you think?” he asked.

“Either dead or badly injured,” Yingyi said. “Must have dozed and lost control on an unfortunate section of the road. Fiddling with the radio probably distracted her.”

“Miss Wu won’t report for work anytime soon. Someone will have to take her place.” Morgan walked back to the SUV. “Let’s get the car taken care of and tell the boss how the accident went.”

The men returned to the Suburban and drove off as a single, pumpkin-sized rock loosened by the crash finally let go of its perch, rumbled down the slope to the edge, and rolled off. The smell of gasoline tainted the air. Crows, silenced by the screech of metal, resumed their bickering. The sound of a small engine interrupted their caws. A moment after the SUV departed, a Honda cycle bounced from a narrow path on the uphill side of the accident site and stopped near the guard cable.

A leather-clad, helmeted rider dismounted from the motorcycle and gazed into the ravine. Seeing no movement and hearing no sound near the overturned car, the figure cursed and pulled out a cell phone. There was no signal. The rider remounted the bike and, after another glance into the ravine, rode off.

PART1

OPPORTUNITY

In revenge and in love, woman is more barbarous than man.

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

1ANTOINETTE

In January, three months before Jun Wu’s murder near San Diego, events unfolded in Langley, Virginia that sealed her fate. At the Central Intelligence Agency, Antoinette Dai-tai Marino worked as an analyst, a job she’d had for almost two years. Her Italian and Chinese heritage explained an unusual beauty that featured Mediterranean olive skin and ebony hair from her father and Asian eyes from her Chinese mother. More than one man had called her striking.

The CIA was her third employer—she’d spent two years after college working for a biotech company and four years in the army. Known as Andy to her colleagues, she had a reputation as competent and tough. What her intelligence co-workers didn’t know was that she had an agenda of her own.

She had to find out why her brother Tony had died. The CIA job meant access to documents about his death, but she couldn’t let her search be obvious. Dogged pursuit of information on this topic had nothing to do with her assignment and might threaten her career. Despite the risk, she again entered Records to access a Nicaragua file. Her professional attire—knee-length skirt, white blouse, and picture identification card—gave her every right to be there. She pushed open the door and marched in as if nothing were amiss.

Andy strode across the gray room: carpet, government-standard furniture, and walls were shades of gray. Pictures of the president and the Agency head decorated one wall, and overhead fluorescent lights gave no-nonsense illumination. An ozone taint in the dehumidified air almost made her sneeze. She suppressed it and nodded to the desk clerk who continued watering a pathetic philodendron, a protest of the room’s rigidity. A thick-necked man, white collar choking his red face, occupied one carrel, engrossed in a file. He ignored her.

Andy took a corner carrel and pulled a yellow pad from her folio. She sat, eyes closed, and took measured breaths. The voice in her head said investigating her brother’s death was not her assignment. But it’s something I must do, she thought. For her sake, for Tony’s sake.

A shuffling noise from the red-faced man brought Andy back, and she turned on the light under the bookshelf. On the pad she wrote a number and took it to the counter. The clerk disappeared and returned a minute later to hand over a manila folder.

Back in the carrel, Andy turned over sheets in the file with a steady, deliberate pace, rechecking contents seen before. The material from Army intelligence was its version of what happened. It seemed insufficient to tell the real story. Terse field reports, Tony’s cryptic letters, and her own research, including an off-the-books trip to Central America, left her unsatisfied. Her mind wandered over what she knew.

Tony had left the army and was recruited by the Drug Enforcement Agency, which wanted experienced men disrupting drug routes in Central America. That he was killed in an ambush in Nicaragua leading trainees through a supposedly secure area was clear enough. He had been ordered to take that route. But why?

She shook off her sadness and again tried to understand what lay beyond the anemic facts. Willing calm, she selected the page with a post-event investigative report. The team reported finding twenty bodies—nineteen Nicaraguans and one American—one fewer than the twenty-one supposed to be in the unit. Perhaps the original information on unit size was wrong. The possibility that a man had escaped or been captured was recognized. Andy wondered if the twenty-first man was the enemy. The report said nothing of attackers and motive. American-made spent cartridges were left behind and not much else. Tony’s body was shipped back home. Andy knew every sad detail of that part of the story.

A pot-bellied co-worker with a wrinkled tie passed the carrel, his glance lingering a second too long. Her skirt had moved well above her knees, exposing several inches of thigh. She lowered the skirt, muttered an expletive, and went back to the page.

The report raised the possibility that Taguro, the Nicaraguan unit commander, might have betrayed the group. His allegiance was suspect, but no reason was given. Andy knew the name, for her brother had mentioned him in his letters where he described Taguro as dedicated, loyal, and dependable. Why would he have anything to do with an ambush?

She needed to see the intelligence report that authorized the path they were on. If faulty intel caused the unit loss, there should be something about the source and its error. She stared at the page that first mentioned Taguro and her eyes drifted to the footer, a line that usually contained the file save date and the preparer’s initials. These were present, but in parenthesis after the information was a six-digit number preceded by two letters, possibly a file ID, perhaps a file that contained more information about something on the page.

Feelings of sadness, regret, and sorrow fell prey to a new emotion: anger. Without any evidence, she felt certain that the file in front of her did not contain the whole story, that the death of Tony Marino and the Nicaraguans was not just an accident of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She wrote down the footer number. Her knowledge of the Agency security protocols told her the unusual coding of the file made it unavailable to her clearance level. She had no official reason to access the document. If she asked for it, a report would reach her boss.

She returned the folder to the records desk, stopped herself from requesting the file, and left, thinking how she could get access.

John Caro’s office was spacious with a mahogany desk and matching bookcase that warmed the room. The fortyish section chief was not the flower type, so Andy assumed the vase of fresh flowers had to be his secretary’s work.

“What’s up?” he asked, continuing to scribble on a pad. “Just let me finish this sentence.”

Andy watched him scrawl several more words. He still had a full head of brown hair and was good-looking in a pinstriped brown suit and red tie. He smiled, showing a chin dimple, got up, and came around the desk. He put his hand on her shoulder and steered her into a chair.

“It’s good to see you,” he said. “You always brighten this office. Now what can I help you with?”

She gritted her teeth. “I want to ask about that security upgrade.”

Caro sat in the other visitor’s chair, his knees an inch from hers. He reached to loosen his tie, revealing a gold watch on a tanned wrist. “It’ll happen in due course. What’s the rush?”

“I think time has run its course. I’ve been here two years and came with an exceptional track record in army intelligence. Any man with that background would have started above my current level.”

“Would he?” Caro asked, his jaw muscles tightening.

“Wouldn’t he?”

“Why do you need a security bump? Is there something in your assignment that requires it?”

“Nothing specific, but more than once I’ve had to check something in another file and had to stop what I’m doing, interrupt you, and maybe get back to that job a day later. Not efficient. And not necessary. I should have that upgrade.”

Caro leaned back and folded his hands. “Well, I never mind your interruptions. It does get lonely in here. But I’ll see what I can do. Wouldn’t want you charging gender discrimination. But keep your nose out of what doesn’t concern you. Now get your ass back to work.”

Andy left wondering if Caro was watching that part of her anatomy as she left.

Her bitching worked, but Caro made her wait. Twice she reminded him and twice she was told to be patient. After a week she was about to make like the squeaking wheel yet again when the upgrade notice reached her.

2THE FILE

The day her security clearance was upped, Andy requested the mysterious file from the Records clerk, who glanced at her computer terminal and said she wasn’t eligible to view such material. With barely contained anger, Andy prodded the clerk to confirm her new status. The woman did so and, without saying a word, retrieved the requested file.

Andy grabbed the folder and retreated to a corner carrel where she sat, staring at the prize, willing her racing heart to quiet. The anticipation of learning from the CIA perspective why her brother died blurred her vision. She wiped the tears and at last opened the report, which consisted of a short, official document and an appendix. She skipped the usual subject-and-security coding at the top and perused the body, a concise account of the number of dead men and their names. It identified a joint task force of the DEA and the CIA as the agency that had authorized the mission and the route. It referred to a standard operating procedure, or SOP, for the intelligence gathering and claimed the area had been quiet for a month. The region had been scanned by a chopper-flyover the day before Tony took his men into the jungle. The summary attributed the massacre to the unexpected infiltration of a force from the drug cartel whose shipment was going to be stopped by the unit. No evidence was cited.

The dry report contained an appendix, labeled as an eye-witness account from the one survivor of the attack. This was the missing twenty-first man. Why hadn’t the main file made this clear? Maybe he hadn’t shown up until after that first document was prepared. Andy noted that the appended material was labeled as having been typed by the witness and unverified. She started to read and realized the tone of the text was unexpected, something written by an educated, intelligent person. At times, the material was almost poetic.

Lieutenant Tony Marino led us along an overgrown jungle path on Nicaragua’s Mosquito Coast, between the Rio Grande de Matagalpa and Rio Prinzalpolka at the end of the rainy season. We tromped through festering, wet jungle, the homeland of the Miskito people, and wiped sweat from our faces under a midday sun. Tropical plants tried hard to engulf the narrow path, and we hacked them back, seeing no reason to be quiet or cautious. We were in the pacified zone from which both drug-shippers and those unhappy with the present government had been driven.

Things seemed normal. Above the insect buzz, raucous birds protested, and somnolent lizards swished leaves in scurried retreats. We hacked foliage, scattering snakes and lizards. The lieutenant stopped to wipe his forehead and watch a scarlet macaw take flight. A green anole with rosy dewlap whose bright color worked against any camouflage jumped in front of us.

“Mating first, invisibility second,” Lieutenant Marino said. He pointed to another lizard decorated with prominent red spots. “Another survival ploy. Garishness that says only a foolish predator would even come close to such poison.”

When we moved, the lizard’s protuberant eye followed with a jerky movement, like the spasms of a loading Ferris wheel. I tell you this detail to show how relaxed we were, relaxed enough for biology.

Andy blinked away tears. The dialog sounded like Tony Marino, the brother she knew, one interested in everything around him, always with a theory. She forced herself to read more.

We walked single-file, close together, rifles hanging from shoulder straps. No one was particularly alert. The territory was safe. We expected a quiet stroll to a village for a few days of R and R, perhaps some gecko soup, as a reward for a successful training mission. The lieutenant was pleased with our accomplishments and felt that Taguro, our leader, was ready to take on a significant role. If the lieutenant could convince his superiors. Diplomacy and political awareness were not Taguro’s strong points.

Andy remembered Tony telling her he had received more than one communication from command indicating misgivings about Taguro, although nothing specific was ever cited. Tony figured he did not have the intelligence rating for such sensitive information. All he was eligible for was risking his life in a bug-infested hell.

The sound from a zul, a native flute, stopped us. It had to be from an outlying farm, for we weren’t near the village. Suddenly the music stopped and the jungle quieted. The men tensed and raised their weapons.

The next sound we heard was not of the jungle. A single rifle shot rang out and Taguro screamed and fell. The men reacted by firing into the trees at what they thought was the source of the shot. The tat tat tat of automatic rifle fire sprayed bullets everywhere. Around me men dropped with cries of pain or the silence of instant death. Blood splattered over giant, green leaves and dripped to the spongy forest floor. My leg took a bullet, but I was lucky. I fell behind a downed tree trunk and stayed quiet. Covered with blood, some mine and some the lieutenant’s, it was easy to play dead. Thank God the shooters didn’t come closer to finish the job. My leg wound was minor, and I managed to limp away after the attack.

Andy shuddered and closed her eyes. She imagined her brother’s last thought was a question: how could the intelligence report be so wrong?

If the attack aimed to eliminate Taguro, why? Did Taguro have unacceptable allegiances? It was not unusual for Central American leaders to be in bed with drug lords. But where was that data? She also wanted to know the intelligence that cleared the path to the village.

From Records, Andy went directly to John Caro’s office. He pretended to maintain an open-door policy, but Andy knew he hated to be interrupted. She didn’t care.

“John, I need your help on something.” She sat. “I’ve been looking at a file on my brother’s death. I need to know why the rebel leader he was training was under suspicion.”

“Why the hell are you wasting your time on that? Your brother’s loss was tragic but put it behind you.” He wore a brittle smile.

“I’m not satisfied I have the full story. My brother was gunned down and there is some reason for it.”

Caro came around his desk. “You have got to let it go. Focus on getting ahead in your job. Just curb your anger and be more pleasant.”

Andy took a deep breath. “If I can get to the bottom of this, maybe I can move on.”

“There are some files that even your new security upgrade does not open. Try putting your energy into fitting in. Use your assets to create your career path.”

“What assets are you talking about?”

“You are a beautiful woman. Like any organization, the CIA runs by more than rules and regulations. People call the shots. If you want to get ahead, be friendly to those who control your future.” Caro sat down and placed his hand on Andy’s thigh. “I might answer your questions if you were friendly enough.”

She was stunned. And then it all became clear. He didn’t just want her to be friendly. He was looking for favors. It happened fast. In one fluid motion, she jumped up, and her hand came around and slapped her boss. His glasses went flying. Caro’s face reddened.

He grabbed her hands and pressed himself against her. She reacted without thinking and brought her knee up into his groin. He rolled away, clutching his genitals.

“You bitch. That’s ground for dismissal.”

“So is sexual harassment.” Andy’s analytical brain took over and came up with a stark conclusion: she had to quit. She’d run into a brick wall in investigating her brother’s death. Caro could fire her, and she didn’t want that on her record. Working for Caro disgusted her. The course was clear. “But I’ll save you the trouble. I quit.”

“Good riddance. Clear out now. I’ll have security give you a hand. And don’t plan to work for the government again. I’ll see that your attitude problem is well known.”

Andy glared at Caro, wishing she could hit him again. She suppressed that impulse and left the office. A security man showed up with a carton as she cleaned out her desk. Without saying goodbye to anyone, she let security lead her to the exit. She walked stiffly to her car across the icy asphalt, avoiding the patches of snow and feeling the chill of the winter air that matched the black cold in her heart. That her predatory boss should remain employed while she was out the door enraged her.

She deposited the box in the trunk, sank into the driver’s seat, and was about to stick the key into the ignition when the glint of sun on chrome caught her eye. Caro’s new BMW, polished and shiny, was parked four cars away. This was his new toy, and he’d made it clear how much he cherished the machine. Andy loathed the BMW as she loathed Caro.

She eased open her car door and slithered out, crouching to stay hidden from the lot security camera, and crept to the BMW. Without hesitating, she ripped a key along the side, leaving a satisfying scratch in the black mirror coat from the front wheel well to the rear door. For good measure, she unscrewed the rear tire valve cover, tossed it, and depressed the valve stem with the key. Air hissed out and the tire grew soft. When it was almost flat, she crept back to her car, got in, and drove away feeling better.

3OPPORTUNITY

After leaving the CIA, Andy Marino hid in her apartment, trying to find a job and thinking. Today, still in pajamas with her second coffee, she sat staring at an old family portrait, remembering growing up in the Midwest with her brother Tony. The children of a career army father, a cold and abusive man, and an intimidated mother who ignored her kids, the brother and sister had learned early to rely on each other. Now, Tony and her father were dead, and her mother was in a home.

Getting away to college had been a blessing. She’d stayed close to Tony during her University of Maryland years, and they would often walk on campus and try to resurrect, or manufacture, the good times of being kids. He’d been the one who comforted her when her boyfriends turned out to be pawing bores and a college advisor made a clumsy pass. Only later did she learn that he’d also popped the guy, breaking his nose.

Andy got dressed, stopped thinking of her brother, and mulled over what had become of her career. At twenty-nine, she had none. She’d run into sexual harassment yet again. Did she invite such behavior in some way? Her middle name Dai-tai did mean “leading a boy in hopes,” so maybe her inadvertent, genetics-dictated behavior sent out the wrong message. Bullshit, she thought. The wreck of her intelligence career galled her, not just because she liked the field, but because she’d lost the means to find answers about her brother’s death. Pissed off and frustrated she couldn’t do this one thing for her brother—or was it really for herself?—she obsessed on how she might punish John Caro.

Getting the final paycheck from the CIA made finding a new job critical. Or else there was no affording the apartment or the car, let alone sending support money to her mother. She had worked for a couple of years doing biological lab work in a drug-discovery company in California. If she applied for a job in that field, she didn’t need a letter of recommendation from the CIA, although an employer would most likely call them. She landed a few interviews but got no offers. She revised her resume and started again. Still nothing.

By the third week, her attitude morphed into a blend of anger and fear. She had begun to consider unskilled jobs. Anything for income before she had to give up her apartment. She was prepared to widen her search, to try for something in another city, to loosen her criteria. She considered a loan to tide her over. She thought of suing the CIA for sexual harassment and wondered if she could tolerate asking fat customers if they wanted fries with that.

Morning became afternoon as Andy made phone calls that got her no closer to employment. Later in the day she was sipping the final glass from her last bottle of cheap Chablis and thinking of going for a run when the call came. It was after business hours, so it probably wasn’t job-related. She stared at the ringing phone, thinking it couldn’t be anyone from the CIA. No friends there or elsewhere. It rang five times before she answered.

“Is this Antoinette Marino?” asked an accented voice.

“Speaking.”

“My name is Mr. Wu. I work for the China Internet Information Center. We assist companies in meeting specific technology needs, and there is a client that has a special position, one matching your background.”

“My background? Just what background are you referring to, Mr. Wu?”

“Training in biological science, your military career, and recent government service.”

Andy imagined that they knew very well that the latter was kaput. “How did you get my name? And just what is the job we are discussing?”

“For security reasons, I can’t give that information on the phone.”

“What is the name of your client?”

The man hesitated. “I can only say that it is a large company of great history, Miss Marino. I can say more in a face-to-face meeting. Would lunch tomorrow be convenient?”

Andy suppressed instinctual alarm. The man seemed quite mysterious, but he did say he had a job that used her background. All of it. “Lunch? Yes, that’s possible.”

“Fine. Tomorrow, then. Noon at the Hilton?”

Andy agreed and immediately went to her computer, glad that she had not had to cancel her internet service provider. She searched the China Internet Information Center, learning that they were a Beijing-based, nongovernmental organization with U.S. offices. It was affiliated with several other state agencies, including the Chinese Association for the International Exchange of Personnel. She didn’t how she was supposed to feel about this intermesh of internet, state, and personnel organizations, but the Information Center seemed to function as a legitimate human resource organization, recruiting foreign experts for Chinese companies with interests in pharmaceuticals, robotics, and control systems software. She wasn’t sure how someone with intelligence expertise fit into any of those areas and went to bed filled with questions.

4THE XIANXINGZHE GROUP

The Xianxingzhe Group occupied a modern complex in a science and technology park outside Beijing. In an office atop the main building, Sun Yingyi remained quiet as his boss paced past large office windows that overlooked the glassy towers of Zhongguan Plaza. Zheng Liu, still muscular in his fifties, paced the perimeter past the executive desk, conference table, and guest chairs while Yingyi waited near a line of potted grasses and ferns. His boss wasn’t happy, but at least he was no longer talking.

For an hour, the man had probed every detail of the plan, interspersing tactics, strategy, and philosophy, with sporadic referrals to the evil consequences of failure. Usually the source of pressure, Zheng made it clear that he was stressed. “Others” would not tolerate failure. Yingyi presumed the scheme was condoned by and would be monitored by the Ministry of Defense. Maybe by the Central Committee.

Zheng leaned fist-down on his carrier-sized desk. “When will she be here?”

“Her flight landed at ten, sir,” Yingyi replied. “She has instructions.”

“You should have met her.”

Yingyi bowed. “This man did not want her to be seen with a company employee. The agency has handled her travel arrangements, and she must first register at the technical fair.”

Zheng’s eyebrows arched. He grunted and resumed his pacing.

Antoinette Marino and three hundred gritty-eyed passengers on a Delta flight from Dulles entered the immigration lounge at Beijing Capital International Airport. Having flown business class and gotten several hours of sleep during the smooth trip, Andy appeared unstressed. Ruly black hair, a tanned face, sunglasses, and her Michael Kors outfit gave her a fit and relaxed mien. The job possibility had rejuvenated her spirits and restored a natural optimism and confidence. But nerves made her check the time periodically on a gold-banded watch.

She pushed through the crowd of bustling Chinese residents to join the line for nonresident immigration. The reflection in the immigration booth plastic caught her attention. A thirtyish American man behind her stared at her legs where she wore a gold anklet. His gaze rose, and he expanded his chest and leaned forward.

“This is my favorite part of the process,” he said. “Is this your first trip to the land of the sleeping dragon?”

Andy half-turned her head. “Yes.” She stepped forward.

The man followed and leaned close. “How about a drink to celebrate our arrival? Maybe a little party.”

Andy rotated and considered the man for several seconds. Her eyes lasered his smiling face. “Shove it, buddy, before I call security.”

The man sputtered and then adopted a John-Wayne drawl. “Well thank you very much, little lady, and y’all have a nice day. Bitch.”

The “bitch” curtsied as a female voice announced in three languages a British Air flight to Osaka. The line grew shorter when two uniformed immigration officers ushered away a hapless passenger, perhaps one lacking some essential paper or proper answer. Still third in line, Andy willed patience as she recalled the events that led her to Beijing.

During the lunch in Washington, Mr. Wu, the agent for the China Internet Information Center, said the position was delicate and therefore not advertised. In fact, she should tell no one of the trip and would learn the name of the company only upon arrival in Beijing. Her purported reason for visiting would be to attend a technical fair, one of many held around China throughout the year. They attracted foreign visitors, so she would fit right in. Her travel arrangements would be handled by another Chinese agency in New York. Her plane reservations came from the local office of Triway Enterprises in Falls Church, VA. The recruitment effort impressed Andy, who figured it at least implied that the company was legitimate with connections.

When she’d pressed for more information, Wu said the position was one that required technical training provided by the company, but that also depended on her background in intelligence. The objective was to acquire technology. Wu further said that she’d work in the field independently, free from “patronization, condescension, and harassment.”

That, of course, struck a chord after her experience with her CIA supervisor, who’d provided plenty of all three ingredients. Not for the first time did she wonder how the recruiter knew she would respond to such a job description. In the end, the appeal of working on her own, her desperate financial situation, and the prospect of power made her accept the invitation.

“Time to move your shapely butt forward, young lady,” John Wayne whispered.

She considered a groin shot with her briefcase, but decided it wasn’t worth the fuss. At the counter, she handed the immigration agent her passport.

The uniform looked at her passport picture and then at her face. “Please remove your sunglasses. How long will you be in China?” The man spoke in English.

“Perhaps three days,” she guessed and took off the glasses.

“And the purpose of your trip?”

“Business meeting. I’m attending a technical symposium.”

The agent stamped her passport and directed her to the baggage carousels. She worked around passengers struggling with immense pieces of luggage, grabbed her bag, and headed for Customs and then the exit. Before she reached the door, however, a uniformed driver identified himself as from Triway Enterprises. He led her outside to a waiting car, put her case in the trunk, and held open the door. A short drive along the Airport Expressway brought them to the northeastern Third Ring Road at Sanyuanqiao, and then they were in Beijing. The driver left her at the Beijing Foreign Experts Building, a large, modern hotel devoted, as its name indicated, to housing visitors.

In a comfortable room, Andy changed into a Calvin Klein charcoal suit. That and a Kors shoulder bag produced a business-success look that had vaporized her savings. She had lunch, and followed the next step in her instructions, namely, to register at the technical conference, which had something to do with artificial intelligence. She expected to be contacted there by the company that was paying for all this. Surely it would happen right away, because she had no training to absorb anything theoretical or practical about AI.

She made her way past the few blocks to the conference center, signed in, and received a note telling her a Mr. Sun would see her in a second-floor room. He was waiting for her in the hallway when she exited the elevator.

“Hello, Miss Marino. I am Sun Yingyi,” he said in perfect English. “Welcome to China. I hope you had easy travel.” He shook her hand.

“The trip was uneventful, Mr. Sun, and I am ready to learn of the company that wants my service.”

“I see you know how we use our family names. But we will be working together. Please call me Yingyi.”

They descended a vacant, back staircase to a parking lot. Yingyi ushered her into a small sedan and drove her northwest at a sluggish speed familiar to the Washington, DC motorist. They passed Peking University and entered the Haidian District, an open, modern area with industrial sites, office buildings, and shopping facilities.

“This is Zhongguancun Science and Technology Zone,” Yingyi said, gesturing to the many buildings. It contains seven parks, all dedicated to industry.”

The name rang a bell for Andy, and it took her a moment to remember that a major technology program at the University of Maryland had some affiliation with the Z-Park. The connection made her feel more comfortable.

“There are over twelve thousand technology enterprises here. Companies like Google and IBM have facilities.” Yingyi pulled into the front drive of a blue-glass-and-steel, multi-story structure at the center of an array of buildings, parking lots, and landscaped islands of greenery. “And here is your host company, the Xianxingzhe Group.”

Andy heard it pronounced “Zan-zin-she” and imagined a wine conglomerate. Zinfandel was one of her favorite California wines.

Yingyi led the way into a grand lobby, serenely lit, with a large stone Buddha in the center. Background flute-and-bell music, indirect lighting, and wall-hugging potted bamboo conferred a temple atmosphere. Beyond the statue stood a reception desk whose shiny red finish contrasted with the black marble floor. Yingyi gave Andy’s name and, after she surrendered her cell phone, led her to the elevator bank.

“My superior, Mr. Zheng, is in charge of foreign talent recruitment,” Yingyi said as he keyed the elevator with a reader. “He will enjoy meeting you.”

At the top floor, they passed several secretaries and entered an office that seemed far too grand for a Human Resources functionary. It was sparsely furnished for its size, with one wall covered by windows and one with black, lacquered shelving containing a few books and statues of a lion, a bird, and a snarling dragon. White tapestries with black calligraphy coated another wall.

A man with broad shoulders, a thick chest, and a shaved head came around a desk, introduced himself in English, and offered his hand. Andy shook, feeling the strength in the man’s grip. Zheng directed her into a black leather chair with wide arms.

Zheng thanked her for accepting their invitation and asked if she needed anything. When she said she was fine, he did something she thought was out of character for the Asian. Without preliminaries, he plunged into the business of their meeting, lecturing as he walked. She listened with increasing amazement to references to higher purposes of a corporation and the need for a global community.

“We follow the teaching of Zhang Zhidong who gave us the principle of ti-yong.” Zheng then quoted from the man’s 1878 essay: “‘Keep China’s style of learning to maintain societal essence and adopt western learning for practical use.’ This principle has allowed China to take great strides forward, largely by using the information that is so widely available in books, journals, patents, abstracts, and company documents.”

Andy cleared her mind of the thought that Zheng was following Zhang. She was well aware that China had many organizations devoted to acquiring, analyzing, digitalizing, and indexing all aspects of technology. The China Society for Scientific and Technical Information or CSSTI employed thousands. On the surface, only open-source materials were gathered. But Zheng’s next remark showed he wasn’t talking about items in the public domain.

“Some things, however, remain hidden, things essential for peace and global understanding. Such information must be shared,” he continued. “That is why we offer you this opportunity.”

Realizing what Zheng was really talking about, Andy grew angry, stood, and removed her jacket. The room was too warm. Certain that her action breached protocol, she decided she didn’t give a damn. She sat down and held up her hand. “Let’s cut the crap, Mr. Zheng. You’re talking about espionage. As I told Mr. Wu, I didn’t like coming here without more information. It’s clear now that I should have insisted. I don’t know why you picked me, but this is out of my league, and I’m not interested. We’ll just pretend this meeting never took place, and I never heard of Xianxingzhe or you. I’ll be going.”

Zheng’s face reddened. “I would ask you to think differently on several points. It would not be in our interest to let you know the company name before you arrived, precisely because of the nature of the job. We picked you precisely because you are most qualified by background and abilities. Pretending the meeting never took place is impossible. And you will not be going.”

Andy stiffened with the realization of her position. She was supposedly attending a technical fair, had not known the name of the company until she arrived, and had not been seen in public with Yingyi. She had been asked to leave her cell phone in the lobby. No one knew she was here. She’d told no one where she was going and had no friends who might wonder. Her only relative was a mother in a care facility who wasn’t with it enough to miss her. Zheng was a hard ass who seemed quite able and willing to keep her prisoner. At least the statement that she was qualified for whatever scheme they imagined for her was a positive. The wise thing seemed to be to listen and learn. To play along. She feigned relaxation.

Zheng moved in front of the chair. “I think you will find our offer most inviting.” He managed a questionable smile.

Andy held the man’s gaze. “Tell me about it,” she said.

5THE OFFER

Zheng retreated behind his desk and opened a file folder. He examined the contents and seemed to be in no hurry. “Ms. Marino, you must realize your position. You have no power. You can’t really learn why your brother was killed, you have been harassed by men and have no recourse, and you are poor. I am offering to change all that. Now, you must listen patiently to what I have to say. I respect women and their contributions. They can reach objectives not accessible to men. You are here because of your background, everything in your background, including that unfortunate incident in your boss’s office about the Nicaragua file.”

“How—”

Zheng held up a hand. “We have details—names, dates, even photographs—that show how and why your brother died. We know who was responsible.”

Andy straightened at the mention of her brother. “What about my brother?”

“Patience. You think you are motivated by the simple need to know what happened. But that is not what you want. The need for justice, even revenge, drives you. We will show how the U.S. Department of Defense caused your brother’s death. You can then exact justice and revenge.”

The speaker’s words fascinated her. She was in over her head but wasn’t sure she wanted to swim to safety.

“You must perceive what vulnerable means. You are helpless facing the U.S. Army, the U.S. government, even the male hierarchy at the CIA. We offer a way to overcome your frustrating weakness. I’m offering a trade. We get your background, capability, and motivation. You get information and power.”

Zheng touched a deep truth that Andy had not realized lay within. Her frustration was rooted in her inability to avenge her brother’s death. Knowledge alone was not her quest. She wanted revenge. That was an epiphany.

“From mutual benefit flows cooperation,” Zheng said. “We work, in the last analysis, for ourselves. You must see your alternatives clearly. Either you continue as an ineffectual gnat, or you can become an irresistible pathogen.”

“Fine,” Andy said. “I get the point.”

“Another point, Ms. Marino.” Zheng opened a desk drawer, extracted a large photograph, and passed it to his guest. “This woman depends on you.”

Andy stiffened. The photo captured her mother’s vulnerability. It showed Xianxingzhe’s power—their knowledge of her mother and ability to photograph her.

“We know of your mother’s illness and her need for your financial help. Success in this task will pay handsomely.”

Andy met Zheng’s eyes.

“Good, we have an understanding.” Zheng touched a switch that activated a large flatscreen. A picture of the campus of Xianxingzhe Group appeared. “This company is an organization of great scope. Economic success makes it a surrogate for the Chinese people. I must do today what will guarantee our future, Xianxingzhe’s and China’s.” The man, whose grey business suit bulged with muscles, moved to the windows and gestured Andy to follow.

Andy looked down on neat modern buildings guarded by parking lots. Pairs of strolling workers appeared as black specks from the high perspective.

“Do you know the origin of the Xianxingzhe name, Ms. Marino?”

Andy shook her head.

“It is the name of China’s first bipedal, humanoid robot, a machine that stood one hundred forty centimeters tall, weighed twenty kilograms, and could walk two steps per second. The Chinese characters of its name mean ‘forerunner’ and signaled the beginning of robot creation by China. We were proud of that creation, that great event, but the Japanese called it Senkousha and ridiculed it, calling it a military weapon, saying the bulging plastic joints at the crotch was its cannon. They made internet games based on the crotch cannon and showed the thrusting of its hips to fire the weapon. But Xianxingzhe was a major achievement, and this company is named for that first robot. We do not intend to be ridiculed again.”

Andy analyzed the situation. Given what had been done and what she’d already heard, she doubted she could walk away. Even if she could, Chinese authorities would see nothing amiss in a company stealing technology. It was the national pastime. Her only option was to learn as much as she could. “You are truly a visionary leader, Mr. Zheng. Perhaps we can develop a mutually satisfying relationship, but I need to know exactly what you want me to do.”

Zheng gestured to the chairs. “Some research must be widely shared to ensure world stability, equal competitiveness, and peace. Tea?”

Andy nodded. “Research on what?” She suspected the references to world stability and peace were propaganda, perhaps megalomania, but she played along.

Yingyi picked up a red phone and spoke briefly in Chinese. Moments later a striking woman entered in a short-sleeved, ankle-length red dress decorated with strands of white and pink flowers at the shoulders. along one side, and at the bottom. Andy thought it both formal and serviceable. The servant set cups, tea, and almond cookies on the table between them, poured, and waited for Zheng to taste the offering. He nodded and she left.

Andy sipped tea, sampled a cookie, and waited.

Her host said, “The area is robotics, but our interest is derivative: neural recording.”

“I have no background in neurobiology.”