“Manning.”
“Chase. It’s Waleed. Where are you?” He sounded tense. Upset.
“Good morning, Waleed. I’m—”
“I’m texting you an address. Get here as soon as you can.”
“Why, what’s happened?”
“It looks like we were too late. Pakvar got our man.”
Chapter 7
Cheng Jinshan looked across the desk of the best oncologist in Dubai. He was also one of the best in the world, but that was not why Jinshan had sought him out for this examination. It was for his discretion. Jinshan knew that there were people in China who would love to know that he had a deadly form of cancer. He had made many enemies while serving as the head of China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection — the government body that had been formed to root out all corruption in Chinese politics. These enemies would use his cancer against him. He could not allow that.
“So you are sure? There is no other test that you need to run to confirm this new information?”
The doctor shook his head. “I’m sorry. But I have seen this many times.”
“But… what you were saying about the survival rate. Is there further testing that could allow me to know where I sit on the spectrum?”
“Given when we identified this, the one-year survival rate for this type of cancer of the pancreas is approximately twenty to twenty-five percent.”
“And if I am within that twenty-five percent? How long could I possibly have?”
“The five-year survival rate is about five to six percent.”
“Does this include surgery?”
“Unfortunately, the malignancy has progressed beyond the point where surgical removal is possible. We will continue to monitor it to see how fast it is growing. The treatment that I would recommend is a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. The goal of this treatment is to relieve painful cancer sites and slow the rate of tumor growth.”
Jinshan looked past the doctor, out his window. The tall buildings of Dubai sprang up around them. “I thought I would have more time.”
The doctor said, “With treatment, you can maximize your time, Mr. Jinshan. That is my recommendation.”
Jinshan got up and held out his hand. “Thank you, Doctor. I will be in touch.”
The doctor shook his hand. “How long are you in town? We will need to set up a schedule for treatment if that is how you elect to proceed.”
Jinshan nodded somberly. “I understand. I will be in town for a few more days. I will contact you.” He walked out of the office and was immediately flanked by two security men and his personal assistant. While his assistant no doubt had many important things to tell him, he had the good sense to remain quiet after this appointment.
When they finally got into his car, his assistant said, “Lena Chou has requested to speak with you, sir.”
He was staring out the window. “Did she?” He turned, a glimmer of life in his eye. “When is she available?”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I have made arrangements for a phone call with her now. She told me that it was very important.”
Jinshan said, “I want to see her in person.”
His assistant gave him a surprised look. “A face-to-face? In Dubai, sir? Is that wise?”
Jinshan looked at his assistant coldly.
“I’ll set it up right now, sir.” He looked at his watch. “She had to be in the north of the city to meet with Mr. Pakvar. We’ll have to go there.” He said something to the driver, and he turned the direction of the vehicle.
Jinshan turned back to the window, watching the buildings as they traveled by.
Cheng Jinshan was a very busy man. As a successful businessman and investor, he had influenced the fledgling AIIB to finance the Dubai Financial Exchange. He oversaw the operations of a very secretive Chinese cyberwarfare organization. After some behind-the-scenes arm-twisting, he had been appointed by the Chinese president as head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. This had allowed him to root out the politicians and government appointees that he felt would not serve China well in the coming shift to a wartime nation. Jinshan had also masterminded Lena’s soon to-be-created American Red Cell on a Chinese military base island in the South China Sea. He was a busy man, indeed.
A busy man’s most precious asset was his time. Something the doctor had informed him he would soon be out of.
Jinshan’s car parked in the parking garage of one of the less-crowded buildings near the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Lena stood alone in the dark garage, her arms folded across her chest. Jinshan’s car door opened and his assistant and security men got out, allowing Lena to enter. The soundproof glass between the driver and the rear seat was up.
“It is good to see you, my dear Lena.”
She smiled. “And you, sir.”
“What did you need to speak with me about?”
“I need your guidance and assistance. Mr. Pakvar and I are now in possession of a man who we believe was working for the CIA. A source, not an agent.”
“You believe? Why are you not sure?”
“The information that we have uncovered points to a small operation between Elliot Jackson, the Dubai Station chief, and a Waleed Hajjar, a UAE intelligence officer. As far as I know, they were the only two people who had any knowledge of this source.”
“What is the significance that would have you bring this to me?”
“This source placed an NSA-written worm within the Dubai Financial Exchange. It would allow the American government to gain tracking information on all bitcoin and bitcoin-backed currency transactions.”
Cheng Jinshan frowned. “I see,” he said. “I must say, I am disappointed that they would take this action. It leads me to believe that they may be aware of what our Abu Musa team has been doing. But I am pleased to hear that you have this source in your possession. Tell me, Lena, what guidance do you seek? Please be clear for a simple old man.”
“I plan to extract the required information from him to ensure that we can proceed as planned with the Abu Musa operation. I will have him provide us any information on the NSA-created program. I will need to get you this information so that your cyberwarfare team can reverse-engineer it. With luck, we can turn this into an advantage.”
He considered this a moment. Then he said, “Approved. Anything else?”
“No, sir.” Jinshan could see that she knew something was up, or else he would not have requested to see her in person. But she was patient and disciplined. She remained quiet.
“Lena, you have been one of my greatest successes over the years.”
“You are too kind, sir.”
“I have received notice that an important piece of hardware did not make it from the Iranian patrol craft to the submarine that has been working on the underwater fiber-optic cables.”
Lena’s eyes narrowed. “How does that affect our schedule?”
“We may no longer have the ability to physically link in our Abu Musa network to the cables.”
“That is concerning.”
“Yes. We will need to look for other opportunities to tap into the Dubai Bitcoin Exchange.”
“I will explore all options and keep you informed.”
“Thank you, Lena.” He sighed. “What of the Red Cell? Is everything still on track?”
“Yes, sir. Operations commence within the month.”
“Good.”
“Is everything alright, sir?”
He looked at her, a sadness welling up inside of him. “Yes, everything is fine. We just need to ensure that we execute on time.”
An hour later, Lena sat cross-legged on the folding chair, staring at her prey.