"I've been here exactly one time — for a total of one day."
"A veritable wealth of knowledge compared to mine." He leaned in front of her. "Time, she is a-wasting."
"Well, you have to see the Buddha first."
"Okay, whatever."
"I think it's some kind of Thai law for visitors."
"Hey, you're my tour guide."
After seeing the famous Wat Phra Keo, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, they sailed by motor launch up the Chao Phya River to see the floating markets and homes, then boarded a luxury-style river barge for the return trip. While they enjoyed cocktails and sampled Mongolian barbecue, Scott and Jackie took in the exotic river-life. They slowly drifted along the crowded banks, waving at the children.
When the barge excursion came to an end, they had an authentic Thai dinner while a parade of beautifully costumed dancers entertained them. After the relaxing dinner, they returned to the hotel and went up to the rooftop lounge to take in the panoramic view of the city.
As they settled into comfortable chairs, Jackie quickly spied one of Hartwell's personal aides walking into the elegant lounge. He looked around for a moment and then approached their table.
"Here comes trouble."
"What?" Scott asked a moment before the man reached the table.
"Mr. Prost wishes to see the two of you in his suite," the man said impatiently. "He's waiting."
"Okay," Scott said. "We're on our way."
When they reached Hartwell's suite, Prost dismissed his assistants and shut the door. The set of his jaw reflected bad news. "Sir, has the room been swept?" Scott asked.
"Yes." Hartwell motioned toward a couch. "No bugs or video. Have a seat." He told them about the Vella Gulf encounter and then brought them up to date.
"The ship is limping to Yokosuka and the injured, including the captain, have been flown to Roosevelt for treatment. The president has just placed our forces in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia in DEFCON Three status. He's taking a very aggressive stand. He honestly believes that our greatest exports are freedom and peace — and he wants to make that clear to our Asian allies. The president wants to expose the Chinese leaders for who they are. President Macklin sees China as an enemy, and he's going to be straightforward about his view."
Hartwell reached for a briefing folder. "Due to the vicissitudes of this dangerous situation with China, the tour company — all the tour companies, for that matter — have canceled all trips to Taiwan and China until things settle down."
Jackie and Scott had the same surprised reaction.
"Are we going to scrub the operation?" Dalton asked.
"No, but the insertion and extraction are going to be a bit more dicey."
"What's your plan?" Jackie asked.
"Well, let me explain the overall picture, then you and Scott may have some ideas to add to the script."
"Okay."
Hartwell eyed Jackie for a moment. "Have you flown Agusta helicopters, any of the models?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Okay, no problem." He opened the briefing folder. "We've had two new helicopters, Agusta A109Es, in China for the last five months or so."
"The one they call the 'Power'?" she asked.
"That's right. One of the helos is a corporate transport, while the other one has been configured as an EMS medevac. Ostensibly the helicopters are factory demonstrators, but we keep them in China for operations like the one we're planning. One of the helos, the medevac, is kept in Hong Kong while the other one operates from its base in Shanghai."
"Sir," Scott said, "I don't think a helicopter is going to have the range to get out of China without having to stop for fuel."
"Allow me to explain."
"Yes, sir."
Hartwell turned to Jackie. "After you're checked out in the Power, if you agree, we will transform you into a demonstration pilot and Scott into a vice president of international marketing for a holding company in Richmond, Virginia. We'll fly you and Scott to Hong Kong. As soon as you feel comfortable in the helicopter, the two of you will fly a Learjet to Chengdu."
"Can we get some manuals and training aids before we go to Hong Kong?" she asked.
Hartwell glanced at his watch. "They'll be here in about two hours."
Prost turned his attention to Scott. "We've leased a Lear 35A, so we won't have to waste any time training you in another jet. After you arrive at Shungliu Airport near Chengdu, Jackie will handle a helo demonstration for a prospective buyer — they're legitimate EMS executives."
"The helicopter?" Scott asked. "Who's going to preposition it?"
"One of our company people. He'll top it off with fuel and be long gone before you arrive. We can't have any Agency prints on this."
"Will the prospective buyers know when we're arriving?" Jackie asked.
"Yes. They'll be told that you had to do a demonstration in Hong Kong that morning, thus the need for a jet to take you to Chengdu."
"Okay," she said, fitting the pieces of the plan together in her mind. Our timing is going to have to be very acute.
"You'll have two rooms booked at a hotel close to the airport. You will appear to be staying overnight. This will give you the opportunity to reach Dr. Cheung under the cover of darkness and, hopefully, extract him."
Hartwell paused for a moment. "Once you have him in your guardianship, get out of Mianyang and return to Chengdu as quickly as possible. You'll leave the helicopter on the ramp and fly the Lear back to Hong Kong."
Prost turned a page in his folder. "From there you'll escort Cheung to Okinawa in a larger corporate jet — the Falcon jet that will take you from Bangkok to Hong Kong to begin the operation. The FBI will meet you at Kadena Air Base and take custody of Cheung."
Prost continued setting up the operation while Jackie and Scott were thinking many steps ahead.
"Sir," Scott said during a pause, "what if we have a problem getting back to Chengdu — to the Lear?"
"Arrangements are being made to have fuel prepositioned near Chongqing and Guilin — they're situated on a basic course from Chengdu to Hong Kong. That will allow for an ample fuel reserve to make it back to safety in the helicopter — if you have to."
Prost handed them enlarged sections of two satellite images and two grids on an operational navigation chart. "A small refueling truck will be parked in an isolated area near Chongqing — the same setup for Guilin. We can't risk landing at an airport after you have Dr. Cheung. The directions you have are very specific, so you shouldn't have a problem."
"If we get away clean," Jackie said.
Hartwell looked at her. "That's the key."
"Can you arrange some more firepower for us?" Scott asked. "Sure, whatever you need."
"From what I make of this operation, we're going into an environment that would normally require at least one SEAL platoon with a lot of firepower."
"True."
"In light of the situation, I'd like to have some heavier bricks to throw — some SEAL weapons."
Hartwell reached for a note pad and his Namiki fountain pen. "What would you like?"
"Two complete sets of body armor with helmets, at least a dozen grenades, two H and K 9-millimeters, two Smith & Wesson .357s, and two H and K MP5 submachine guns — all with plenty of ammo."
"Anything else?"
"A Spectre gunship or a Super Cobra would be a nice addition."
"I'm sure they would," Prost said, and placed his notes down. "I know this may seem like mission impossible, but we really don't know how much resistance you'll encounter — if any. However, from past experience, I don't think you're going to be able to waltz in there and snatch him without some form of resistance."
Prost saw Jackie's concerned look.
"Anything else you can think of?" Hartwell asked her. "Night vision goggles and binoculars — two of each."
"I'll have everything sent to Hong Kong."