In the communication center, a Peoples Liberation army private was sitting in front of a console covered with an array of multicolor LEDs—red, green, yellow, white. At the moment he was reviewing the communications log for the previous day; one of his duties was to initial and date the paper log next to each communication entry.
Because the private was preoccupied with this task, it was several minutes before he noticed a blinking yellow light in the lower center portion of the console display. Actually, a dozen or more lights were seemingly randomly turning on and off, but this one light was important since it indicated an active satellite communication channel was open.
The private put down the logbook and focused on this open communication link. Immediately he thought it odd since no messages were scheduled to be sent until 7:00 a.m. Given the very early hour of the morning, it was extremely unlikely that anyone would be sending a routine status report or request for supplies; the majority of external communications were related to these two topics. Colonel Ming always handled the sensitive communications directly, or so he was told.
After staring at the blinking light for several more minutes, the young private finally decided he should call the officer of the watch. He picked up a telephone handset recessed into the console. There was no keypad because the phone only connected to the watch officer. It rang seven times before a very groggy voice answered.
“Yes?”
“Lieutenant Xu. This is Private Tao in communications. One of the satellite communications lines seems to be active.”
“So? You woke me in the middle of the night just to tell me someone is sending out a message? I’ll have you washing floors for the next month!”
Private Tao’s voice raised an octave and he tried to control his mounting anxiety. “Sir! There are no communications scheduled until 0700 when the daily status report will be sent to Beijing.”
“Private Tao. Did it ever occur to you that someone merely forgot to update your schedule log?”
“Yes, sir. But this is a very unusual activity. I rarely see satellite communications at 0250, sir. Procedure requires that I report that anomaly, sir!”
“Very well private. I will be there in ten minutes.” Lieutenant Xu slammed down the phone. The loud bang carried through the connection just for a moment before the line went dead, leaving Private Tao with second thoughts about calling his watch officer in the middle of the night.
When Lieutenant Xu entered the communication center, Private Tao was already on his feet standing at attention. He raised his right hand in a salute, his forehead glistening from perspiration.
Xu ignored the military protocol and stopped inches from Private Tao. The two men were of equal height and Xu glared into Tao’s eyes.
“Well, private?” said Xu in a voice that made it abundantly clear he was not at all amused.
Tao remained rigidly at attention, eyes locked forward. “Sir, the indicator light on the console… the channel has continued to be active since I reported to you.” It was all Tao could do to complete his report without his voice cracking.
Lieutenant Xu turned his head and looked at the communication status board. There were many lights coming on and off, but the three yellow LEDs, each indicating a separate satellite communication channel, were off.
Xu slowly returned his glare to Private Tao. “And exactly which indicator light are you referring to, Private?”
“The active channel indicator…” Tao’s voice fell off as he turned his head to the panel. All three indicator lights were dark.
“Sir! I swear! The left LED, channel one, was active! The light was illuminated when I reported the incident to you, sir!” Drops of sweat stung Private Tao’s eyes as they ran down his face.
“I’ll have you mopping floors and cleaning toilets for the remainder of your tour here, Private. Do you hear me!” Xu’s anger was building. Among the enlisted men he had a reputation for a volatile temper.
Tao was desperate. He knew what he had seen, and he knew that reporting it was the correct procedure. But if he couldn’t demonstrate these facts quickly, he would be punished for sure. His mind was turning in circles. No, wait… yes, maybe he could prove to Lieutenant Xu that the channel had, indeed, been open.
“Sir! The electronic log… if you check the log, it will prove that I am telling you the truth!”
Xu paused momentarily to consider the Private’s suggestion. Yes, he would check the log—and when he saw that there had been no irregularities, he would have Private Tao brought up on charges of insubordination.
Without saying a word, Xu moved to an adjacent computer terminal and entered his password, gaining access to the communication event log. This log automatically recorded all incoming and outgoing communication activity, the channel, and the date and time of day. The log also recorded the source of all outgoing messages, whether from the communication center or from other computer terminals within the four main buildings of the compound.
Xu scrolled back in time 30 minutes; then started to advance the log record one minute at a time. Exactly as he thought—no activity on any of the three satellite channels. A mean sneer began to grow on Xu’s face, and then he saw it. Exactly nineteen minutes ago, channel one became active—just as Private Tao had reported. Xu followed the log record forward in time, and exactly two minutes ago, the channel was closed. That would be right about the time he had arrived at the communication center.
So, Private Tao had been telling the truth. But why would someone send an unscheduled satellite communication at this early hour when nearly all the staff were asleep? What message could possibly take seventeen minutes to send? The satellite communications were state-of-the-art and could easily dispatch even the most lengthy status reports in a few seconds.
Xu looked again at the monitor. The message had originated from the science wing, in the computer lab—terminal five, to be exact. It took a moment to sink in, and then Lieutenant Xu realized something was very wrong.
“Get Lieutenant Li on the phone. Tell him to report here immediately!”