Night was still clinging to the city as a white sedan pulled to a stop along the side of Guang Chang Boulevard in the center of Beijing. Three doors opened and two men and a woman stepped from the car onto the sidewalk, the woman intertwining her arms through those of the two men, one on each side of her as they began strolling north. There were no other pedestrians within view as the sedan pulled away, and a moment later, the three individuals disappeared into the ringlet of cypress and pines surrounding the Great Hall of the People.
Christine paused for a moment to get her bearings, taking a deep breath of the cool night air. Her pulse was racing and she commanded herself to relax. But her heart kept pounding in her ears as O’Hara dropped the backpack from his shoulders, retrieving Christine’s Glock, which she had handed over so it could be concealed in the backpack as they strolled along Guang Chang Boulevard.
O’Hara handed Christine the pistol, which she slipped back into the waistband of her pants, then focused on the reason she had accompanied the SEAL team—to discreetly gain access to the Great Hall. That meant finding the alcove she had entered when she escaped from the Great Hall two weeks ago. To Christine’s left, the gray marble columns of the Great Hall’s central entrance were illuminated by bright white landscape lighting. That meant the alcove was a few hundred feet to her right. Christine turned and led the two SEALs north.
Christine halted at the edge of the trees. The alcove was directly ahead, across twenty feet of paved road. The camera mounted above the door was operational this time, its red LED illuminated. Gaining access to the Great Hall would be easy if Christine’s palm print remained in the system. Gaining access undetected was another matter. Fortunately, six feet above the camera, a decorative balcony with black wrought iron railing extended over the exit, protecting the camera and the plasma display from the weather.
O’Hara dropped the backpack from his shoulders again, retrieving a black rappelling harness. After shedding his windbreaker and MP7, Harrison donned the harness, from which dangled a metal carabiner attached to a gear loop on the waist strap. Reaching into the backpack again, he pulled out a coil of thin nylon rope, a Mini Maglite with red lens, and a Gerber multi-tool. Harrison draped the rope over his shoulder and slid the Gerber and flashlight into loops sewn into his waist strap, securing each in place with a Velcro tab.
Reaching into the backpack one final time, Harrison retrieved the final device he needed, a metal shunt, which he attached to the carabiner on the front of his waist strap.
“All set,” Harrison said, looking at Christine. “Wait here until I signal for you.”
Christine’s stomach knotted. Guards traversed the perimeter of the building, and she had no idea how long it’d be before the next pass. Once Harrison climbed the balcony and began disabling the camera, he couldn’t duck back into the foliage if guards approached.
Without another word, Harrison and O’Hara dashed across the paved road, stopping against one of the ten-foot-tall walls forming the C-shaped alcove. O’Hara interlocked his fingers, forming a foothold for Harrison, which he used to scale the alcove wall. From there he was able to pull himself onto the balcony and over the railing as O’Hara sprinted across the paved road again, joining Christine along the tree line.
“You look left,” he whispered, “and I’ll watch right.”
Christine acknowledged and peered left as directed. As she stared into the shadowy distance, she listened carefully to her surroundings. The chirping crickets she’d heard during her escape were still vocal, and there was the occasional car passing by on Guang Chang Boulevard. Thankfully, there was no indication—sight or sound—of approaching guards.
Harrison tied the end of his nylon rope to the wrought iron railing and gave it a firm tug to verify the railing was sturdy enough to handle his weight. Convinced it was, he slipped the nylon rope into the shunt attached to his harness, then tossed the free end of the rope over the railing. He climbed over the railing and stood facing outward, with his heels between the bars, then tilted forward as he fed the rope through the shunt with his right hand. A moment later his body was horizontal, dangling just beneath the balcony. A small kick sent Harrison slowly spinning, turning 180 degrees until he faced the building. He lowered himself slowly until he was just above the camera. After locking the shunt in place, Harrison retrieved the Maglite and the Gerber multi-tool, and began disassembling the camera.
Christine glanced back at Harrison periodically. It seemed like he was taking forever, but there was finally a double flash of the red Maglite in their direction, and Harrison dropped down into the alcove a second later.
“Let’s go,” O’Hara said after a final glance in both directions, grabbing the backpack beside him. Christine followed O’Hara across the concrete path, joining Harrison inside the alcove. Above them, two cut wires dangled from the top of the camera, and the red LED light was dark.
Harrison shed his rappelling harness, which he handed to O’Hara in exchange for his MP7. O’Hara returned the harness to his backpack, which he slung over his shoulder. Harrison turned to Christine. “Your turn.”
Christine stepped in front of the plasma screen beside the door, flexing her hand involuntarily. She reached toward the screen, hesitating with her hand an inch away from the monitor, unable to shake the uneasy feeling something was about to go wrong.
“Only one way to find out,” Harrison said.
Christine placed her palm firmly against the cold glass. The screen activated immediately, a vertical red line scanning her palm from left to right. The red line reached the edge of the screen and the monitor went dark. She waited for the door to unlock, her hand still pressed against the glass, but nothing happened. Seconds ticked away and there was still no reaction from either the plasma monitor or door.
There was a sinking feeling in Christine’s gut and she was about to pull her hand away from the display when the door unlocked with a metallic click. She breathed a sigh of relief as O’Hara pulled the door open and Harrison peered around the doorframe. After looking in both directions, he waved them in, and Christine followed Harrison and O’Hara into the Great Hall of the People.