‘Fifteen days,’ Kilkenny fumed through gritted teeth, his mind weighing each step of the plan against an impossible deadline.
‘Fifteen days is the minimum,’ Donoher clarified. ‘It could be a bit longer if the conclave deadlocks.’
‘How much longer?’ Grin asked.
‘Thirty ballots, about two additional weeks. After that, a trigger in the Apostolic Constitution kicks in that permits a change in the rules of the election. Instead of requiring a two-thirds majority, the electors can opt for an absolute majority or a runoff between the top two candidates on the previous ballot. These rule changes make it easier for a compromise candidate to garner enough votes to break the deadlock and win election.’
‘But we can’t count on a deadlock,’ Kilkenny said. ‘We have to get Yin out of China in fifteen days.’
‘But just a moment ago you said you needed at least a month to prepare,’ Donoher said. ‘How is it you now think you can accomplish this in half that time?’
‘By using people already trained for this kind of work.’ Kilkenny replied.
‘Mercenaries?’ The cardinal was incredulous.
‘Volunteers,’ Kilkenny replied. ‘Special Forces and CIA, but we’ll need permission to use them. I need the kind of people I can trust with my life.’
Kilkenny’s eyes remained on the hologram of Chifeng Prison as he spoke, his face eerily illuminated by the computer-generated mirage. But the look of deep concentration that tightened his features waned, leaving behind determined calm.
‘You’re not intending to go into China yourself, are you?’ Donoher asked.
Kilkenny nodded. ‘It’s the only way to get the job done in time. Grin can handle the tech side of things without me.’
‘This isn’t what I brought you here for,’ Donoher protested. ‘Your father will never forgive me.’
‘I couldn’t forgive myself if I let Yin continue to rot in that hellhole knowing that I could have gotten him out. I appreciate your concern for my father’s feelings, but this isn’t any different from my time in the Navy, and he should understand that.’
‘There’s still a chance the new Pope will approve of your plan,’ Donoher said, almost pleading.
‘Are you willing to bet Yin’s life on that?’ Kilkenny asked.
Donoher considered the papabili, those cardinals considered favorites for the papacy. All were good, deeply religious men, but none possessed the fiery determination of the late Pope. Most, if not all, would find the plan to free Yin provocative and far too risky.
‘No,’ Donoher conceded.
‘Kilkenny stood and turned toward Donoher. Our choice really is now or never.’
‘Then I can think of no greater honor to the memory of Pope Leo,’ Donoher declared, ‘than to fulfill his last request.’
10
Donoher sat alone in a well-lit conference room in the catacombs. The table before him held several stacks of files covering all aspects of the Vatican’s preparations for the upcoming papal funeral and the subsequent conclave. After Pope Leo XIV named him Camerlengo, Donoher’s predecessor, Cardinal Mizzi, forwarded to him a file box of information he had collected over the years in preparation for this day. Included were copies of letters from previous Camerlengos about their experiences during past interregnums. Donoher found comfort in the wisdom of those men who had carried this burden before him.
The triangular speaker in the center of the conference table chimed. Donoher glanced at the caller-ID. It was his executive assistant, Sister Deborah.
‘Yes, Sister?’
‘Your Eminence, the video link you requested is ready.’
‘Thank you.’
As he set aside the file he was reading, the flat monitor covering a large portion of the opposite wall filled with a test screen showing the logo of the Holy See. The still image quickly disappeared, replaced by a view inside another subterranean conference room thousands of miles away. Two men gazed back at him. Both appeared lean and fit for their age. The man on the left had a full head of silver hair; the other displayed only hints of gray around the edges. They were dressed in well-tailored suits, and the left lapel of each held a pin of the American flag. Donoher personally knew the man on the left; it was through the CIA director that he had requested this meeting. He recognized the man seated beside Jackson Barnett, though this was the first time he had ever spoken to him.
‘Your Eminence,’ the President began in a folksy west Texas drawl, ‘I would first like to express my deepest condolences and those of the people of the United States on the passing of Pope Leo. I was privileged to have met with him on several occasions and benefited from his wisdom. The Pope was a man of great faith and compassion, truly one of the most inspiring leaders on the world stage. He will be missed.’
‘He will indeed, Mister President, he will indeed. Thank you for your kind words.’
‘Kind words come easy when they’re the truth. Director Barnett informs me you have a delicate matter you’d like to discuss with us.’
‘That is correct, Mister President. Are you familiar with the case of Yin Daoming, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Shanghai?’
‘Chinese dissident,’ the President recalled. ‘Been locked up for decades for being nothing more than a man of the cloth. He’s got some family here in the U.S., in Connecticut. I’ve worked with one of the senators from up there to quietly prod Beijing into letting him go. Talks on that have never gotten anywhere.’
‘That has been our experience as well,’ Donoher said. ‘In August, the Chinese government murdered approximately five hundred of its citizens in a failed attempt to force Bishop Yin into publicly renouncing the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope. Following this incident, His Holiness directed me to find a way to unilaterally free Bishop Yin.’
‘Sounds like you’re talking about a prison break,’ the President said wryly.
‘Yes, Mister President. We have devised a nonviolent way to free Bishop Yin. Just before his death, Pope Leo authorized us to proceed.’
‘Is this why Nolan Kilkenny is in Rome?’ Barnett asked.
Donoher nodded. ‘I needed someone with his particular background to study the problem, to see if our aim was even possible.’
‘Kilkenny,’ the President mused, then he turned to Barnett. ‘That the same fella who nailed the folks behind the attacks of the shuttle Liberty and that Chinese rocket?’
‘Shenzhou-7, Mister President,’ Barnett offered. ‘And yes, the gentleman working with Cardinal Donoher is the same man you remember from that incident.’
‘He sure gets around.’ The President chuckled. ‘The work Kilkenny did last year put a bit of a thaw in our relations with the Chinese — nothing earth-shattering, mind you, but the tone has improved. Too bad we had to keep the wraps on that story — in my mind, the Chinese owe Kilkenny a medal.’
‘What you’re proposing will infuriate Beijing,’ Barnett said to Donoher.
‘The continued existence of the Roman Catholic Church in China infuriates Beijing. From the point of view of the Holy See, we have nothing to lose in freeing Bishop Yin.’
‘But the United States stands to lose a great deal if we’re implicated in any way,’ Barnett countered.
‘Cardinal, if you have a plan that you think will work, why come to us?’ the President asked. ‘You have to know that even minor involvement on our part would be politically difficult for the United States.’