People in the room looked up nervously at the ceiling. Some of the EMP detonations would be overhead, hundreds of miles up. They weren’t in danger — that was what the nuclear scientists and weapons experts had said — but it was still a frightening thought. Nuclear detonations. Hundreds of miles overhead. They were shielded from the EMP effects in here, in the bunker built in to the island’s mountain. In the cavernous underground shipyard, several destroyers waited. The submarines were already underway, protected by a thousand feet of blue ocean.
Admiral Song got up and hobbled over to the corner of the room. He would need to leave soon after this. “Play the audio please,” he said.
On the monitors, the masquerade began.
“My fellow Americans, our nation has come under attack. At one o’clock a.m. Eastern time, NORAD detected signs consistent with multiple ballistic missile launches originating from North Korea. While North Korea has conducted previous tests, these missiles continue to head east. As we realized that these missiles were headed towards the United States, we responded. Our ballistic missile defense was able to destroy many, but not all of these North Korean missiles.
“Moments ago, after conferring with the National Security Advisor, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I have ordered a swift and proportionate response. The United States of America will not stand idly by while madmen plot treachery against our free and peace-loving nation.
“Due to the serious nature of the exchange between the United States and North Korea, the Department of Homeland Security has put out an alert urging all citizens to remain in their homes for the next twenty-four hours in order to decrease the potential impact of a retaliatory strike. We will put out more information over the next twenty-four hours.
“I urge all Americans to remain calm but alert. I assure you that we are taking every possible step to ensure the safety and security of the American people. We…”
Then Secret Service agents rushed into view of the camera, stealing the president away. The president yelled in confusion, and then the monitor switched to show the presidential seal, with a dark blue background. The show was over.
Lena knew that the part with the protective detail had been difficult to get right. Jinshan’s producers had had to shoot that footage five times before they could be sure that the faces of the men in suits weren’t in the frame. It made the editing process easier. It would have been suspicious if both Secret Service agents were seen to be of Asian descent.
The Americans would be thrown into chaos.
The last thing they viewed before the lights went out in their homes would be a disinformation campaign, designed to look like their own president had just launched a nuclear attack.
Then their world would go dark.
Several EMP weapons were now being deployed over major US cities. Most of them were being launched from submarines off the American coastline. Some of the EMP weapons were space-based, sitting dormant in satellites until the Chinese execute order was sent. Both methods gave the Americans almost no time to react.
A dozen nuclear detonations would soon be going off in outer space, at locations spread out over the United States.
Lena turned to the PLAN officer who was the liaison for Naval Operations. “What is the status of the submarine missile launches?”
The PLAN officer responded, “They are underway now, Ms. Chou.”
“All of your vessels are away from the EMP impact zone?”
“Except for the ones identified to be in the zone, yes.”
Admiral Song said, “What is the status of the American submarine cable operation?”
The PLAN officer turned to his computer screen and typed. “Getting an update now.”
Lena thought of Cheng Jinshan and how he must be feeling right now. His decades of work were finally being realized. She knew that he was not well. How tired he had looked during their last meeting. Everyone could see that his health was failing him now, but no one dared to ask him specifics.
Still, there was another nagging feeling about Jinshan that Lena was holding inside. That girl. President Wu’s daughter. She had seen herself in that poor child’s eyes. Jinshan had ordered her execution. Had that really been necessary? It was one of the first times that she could remember that her penchant for violence hadn’t flared. She had wanted to protect the girl, but had instead followed orders.
She didn’t feel guilty. Just… what was it? Anger? Anger at Jinshan and the other men who commanded her. Anger at her father for letting her go, all those years ago. She still hadn’t seen or spoken to him. She knew what had motivated her father. She’d seen it when she was a girl but hadn’t understood it then. General Chen was a narcissist. Jinshan wasn’t like him. But both of them were more than willing to sacrifice innocents in the name of progress.
Lena had thought she was the same. But killing the girl had planted a seed of doubt in her mind. In that flash of gunfire and blood, she had snapped out of her spell. She hadn’t felt her needs since that day, although it had only been a short time. But still… the thirst for killing came in frequent waves of intensity. She had always satisfied it through her work, when she could, and used her skills of deception to hide her violent output when she couldn’t.
Now she was being told to finish off Natesh. How would she feel when that moment came? Standing in front of him with a cold blade or a silenced pistol? Would she finish him off, as Jinshan commanded? Would she feel the bloodlust well up in her bosom, as it always had? Or was her curse finally broken?
She wouldn’t know until the time came.
Lena looked up at the tactical display showing the Western Pacific theater. The naval battles had begun. Getting to Japan would be near suicidal during this missile storm. But she felt no instinct of fear. If her personal jet was shot down, so be it. Let fate decide.
Admiral Song got up from his chair next to her. “I must go. Good luck, Miss Chou.”
She nodded to him. “Thank you, Admiral. Good hunting.”
He left through the door. She thought about how much respect these senior admirals and generals now showed her. It was all because of Jinshan, she knew.
Jinshan and Lena had grown close over the past decade, since he had recruited her. He was her handler and mentor, although one she had rarely seen in person. Sometimes it would be a year or more between their conversations. Cheng Jinshan was a billionaire business owner and a major player in the Chinese intelligence community. His success in each of those worlds only increased his success in the other. Jinshan’s business influence and financial backing allowed him to influence Chinese politicians. Initially his business career had begun as a cover for his actual role in the Chinese intelligence apparatus. Then it had become too big for anyone to stop.
Lena thought about their relationship and the way that he complimented her and made her feel… what? Like a daughter? Ironically, it had been he who had removed her from her family. Sent to the United States to eventually be placed as a mole in the CIA. And now he had placed her real father in charge of China’s military. It was a lot to process.
She wondered how much of Jinshan’s affection was real. Was it part of his act, as a master manipulator? Did he care at all about her, or just appreciate how effective she had been as one of his agents?
When Jinshan had found Lena, she had been a young and innocent girl. She reminded herself that Natesh had been innocent too, when Jinshan had spotted him. He had only made one mistake when recruiting Natesh: assuming motive. Natesh was unlike many of the other rising stars Jinshan was used to working with. He had thought that the young man was interested in power. But it was not power he was after. Lena saw that after working with him.