Chapter Nine

 

 

Embankment Café, Victoria Embankment Garden

London, England

 

“What?” Justin could not help but blurt out. “Your agent will kill the Russian president and blame the Americans.”

Hai shook his head. “He’s no longer working for MSS. He’s not our agent.”

“Technically, he still is,” Justin said. “You recruited him, trained him, created him. Then, he slipped through your hands. But you still own him.”

Hai nodded slowly. “We do,” he said in a low voice and looked down. “This situation is ... is quite embarrassing. That’s why we need to be very discreet.”

“So it’s safe to conclude you haven’t informed the Russians or the Americans?”

Ying shook her head. “No, we can’t.”

“Yes, the shame and the risk of ruining your ministry’s reputation,” Justin said. “But the lives that can be saved...”

“We are very concerned about everyone involved.” Hai looked deep into Justin’s eyes. “That’s the reason we approached you and your agency. We need to stop Lim, but we need to do it quietly.”

Justin held Hai’s fiery gaze. “All right, you want to handle this in-house and with the CIS’s help, if I understand you correctly?”

“That’s correct. We’ll brief the Americans and the Russians when and if necessary, but our preference would be to not do so. At least, not until we’ve neutralized the threat.”

“Okay, but I’m still missing something. What’s Lim’s motive, why does he want to kill the Russian president?”

Hai looked at Ying. “Why don’t you explain that?”

Ying pursed her lips, visibly unpleased with the task. “It’s clear that Lim is not operating under the ministry’s orders. But he’s also not running this operation because of his own personal beliefs.”

“Money?” Justin said.

“Right. Someone’s paying Lim for his service.”

Justin shifted in his seat and took a sip from his coffee. “Who?”

Ying frowned, then offered a small headshake. “We’re not absolutely sure, as the source isn’t fully reliable. But the information seems to indicate the orders are coming from Pyongyang.”

“Really? North Korea? Are you sure this isn’t just ... fiction?” Justin wanted to say propaganda, but the word would not sit well with his Chinese counterparts.

Ying nodded. “It sounds unbelievable, and we were doubtful at first as well. But the more we examined the situation and the information, the more we were convinced.”

Justin sipped his coffee. “Explain it to me—how does North Korea benefit from the Russian president’s assassination?”

“Sure, I can do that. You’re familiar with the tough rhetoric between the North Korean leader and the current American president, right?”

Justin nodded. Not a day went by without newspapers or television channels reporting about the US president trading insults with the leader of the North Korean communist regime.

Ying said, “The US president’s Twitter outbursts have become so common, predictable, and pathetic that few people pay attention to them. The leader of the free world has labelled the North Korean dictator a ‘madman,’ while he has struck back by calling the US president a ‘mentally deranged US dotard.’”

Justin had had to look up the archaic word “dotard,” which, according to the Oxford Dictionary, meant “an old person, especially one who has become weak or senile.”

Ying continued, “Insults aside, the fact is that both countries are at the brink of a nuclear apocalypse. As much as the North Koreans like to talk tough, the truth is that their defense systems will be completely useless in case of a full-strength American attack.”

Justin nodded. “That’s true.”

“The Korean leader likes his larger-than-life personality and enjoys being adored as a hero, but the Koreans realize they may have pushed too far. The American president might just hit that ‘red button’ and launch a nuke.” Ying grinned.

Justin returned the grin. He had read about the “red button” reference that had received wide media coverage. While it served well as an easy-to-understand image for the general public, the process of launching a nuclear missile was much more complicated. A 45-pound briefcase that always went with the US president contained the guide on how to launch a nuclear strike, as well as secure communication equipment, and launch code authenticators. The president would need to identify himself as the commander-in-chief by providing a code he was expected to have on him at all times. Upon confirmation, the person receiving the order would execute it and launch the nuclear strike. Justin sighed, then said, “Right, so why don’t the Koreans just back down?”

“That’s not their style,” Ying said.

Hai said, “The Dear Leader wants to save face. He’ll never admit defeat, and it is difficult to interpret backing down as a victory, even for an authoritarian regime like North Korea.”

“And they’ve decided the best way to get rid of the Americans is to divert their attention?”

“Right, at least that’s how their thinking goes,” Ying said. “The US and Russia have clashed over a lot of issues, from Russia hacking the American elections, to accusations of financing terrorism or terrorist-supporting states, to blacklisting businesses and freezing assets. You name it, they’ve fought over or are fighting over it.”

“It makes perfect sense,” Hai said. “Russia and the US pretend to be friends, but they both know they’re pretending. They’re enemies who haven’t declared war.”

“Yet,” Ying said.

Justin nodded as a frown wrinkled his brow. Even if the assassination failed, it had the potential to escalate the situation. While Justin doubted an all-out war would break out, the possibility could not be excluded offhand. There were many hardliners in both countries, who were always pushing for “tougher measures,” fanning the flames of distrust, hate, and violence.

Ying said, “If Lim is successful, chaos will ensue.”

“Needless to say, we can’t let that happen.” Hai leaned back in his chair.

Justin thought about what to say for a long moment. “I need time to process all this, and I need the files, everything that substantiates these claims and this ... this outlandish story.”

Hai gestured toward Ying. “You will have it, Justin. Ying will provide you with a copy, in English, of everything we have. And she’ll be your partner, so that—”

“I already have a partner,” Justin said.

Hai nodded. “Yes, we know of Ms. O’Connor. Partner was not the correct word. Think of Ying as a liaison between our two agencies. I’m sure we’ll come across more intelligence, which would be useful.”

Ying said, “As we’re working on a joint operation, it’s important to share everything we find.”

Yes, a joint op. My agency partnering with the Chinese MSS. I wonder what Flavio will have to say about this. “I’ll have to take this to my boss for his authorization.”

Hai nodded. “Of course, Justin. Ying will provide you with the files, so you can make a stronger case for cooperation. While Lim’s target appears to be the Russian president, we don’t know any details on how, where, or when he’ll carry out the assassination. It could be—and we hope it’s not—that Lim opts for a truck-bomb or another explosive device. If that happens, many other dignitaries could be killed, including perhaps the Canadian prime minister, who is also coming to London.”

Ying said, “Lim is very skilled in explosives.”

Justin nodded. He was not sure if the two leaders would be in London on the same day or if other meetings were on their schedules. But Justin could see how the attack would kill many innocent civilians. “I’ll explain everything to my boss, and he’ll make a decision.”

Hai took a sip from his coffee, the first one throughout their entire conversation. “That’s all, Justin. Questions?”

Justin shook his head. “Nothing further at the moment, but I’m sure many will follow. After Carrie and I have studied the MSS reports.”

“Yes, Ying will have them for you this afternoon.”

“Perhaps we can discuss them over supper?” Ying asked in a soft, warm voice. “And I can answer all questions.”

“That sounds good.”

“I know just the right place. They make the best Chinese food in London.”

“Excellent.”

“Is six o’clock okay?”

“Yes, that’d be fine.”

Hai said, “Well, if there’s nothing else, Justin...”

He shook his head and stood up.

Hai and Justin shook hands, then Hai said, “Ying will take you back to the embassy. Thank you, again, for meeting with us and listening respectfully. Maybe we can work together in this operation.”

Justin nodded. “Yes, and I hope we can stop Lim before he starts a war.”