“Cyber Com believes they have all the copies located,” Ryan said. “Or at least how to patch against it. China is sure to have extra copies on hand. Who knows… The damned thing could be hiding in my phone at this moment.”
“Don’t joke about that.”
“I wish I were joking,” Ryan said. “Even if we got it all, it’s only a matter of time before someone develops something better… or worse. AI is the future of… well, the future.”
He and Cathy got to talk like this so rarely, he enjoyed their back-and-forth volleys. It was like playing tennis in bed with a beautiful half-naked woman.
“What about that horrible man who came to the clinic with General Song’s family?”
“Tsai?” Ryan said. “No idea. Back in China, I suppose, being the same horrible man.”
“Too bad,” Cathy said, pooching out her lips, no doubt thinking of what she’d like to see happen to the rude little Communist minder.
She rolled onto her back, using her head to fluff her pillow. “Thank you for letting me help a little.”
“Are you kidding me?” Ryan said. “Your help was key.”
“Maybe.” She turned to him again, restless, unable to lie still. She touched the point of his chin with the tip of her delicate finger, the sure finger of a surgeon. It was something she did when she wanted to get her way — when all she really had to do was show up.
“I have an idea,” she said. “You should consider letting me get involved with all your palace intrigue a little more often.”
Ryan took her hand in his. “These fingers give people back their sight. You should take care of them, not work them to the bone with counterespionage.”
“Is that what you call what I did?” Cathy nestled her head against his chest again, which still made his heart race after all these years. “I was thinking it was more like diplomacy.”
“Tomato, tomahto, spycraft,” Ryan said.
“Well,” Cathy said. “I really enjoyed it.” She pulled back slightly so she could look up at him, her lips inches from his face. “It made me feel… like you.”
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A little more than thirty years ago, Tom Clancy was a Maryland insurance broker with a passion for naval history. Years before, he had been an English major at Baltimore's Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort, The Hunt for Red October, sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it "the perfect yarn." From that day forward, Clancy established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense. He passed away in October 2013.
A native of Texas, Marc Cameron spent twenty-nine years in law enforcement. He served as a uniformed police officer, mounted (horse patrol) officer, SWAT officer, and a U.S. Marshal. Cameron is conversant in Japanese, and travels extensively researching his New York Times-bestselling Jericho Quinn novels. Cameron's books have been nominated for both the Barry Award and the Thriller Award.