Tiger by the Tail (21 page)

“He said, ‘take your time.’” Jace’s frown deepened. “Now we’ll learn what screws are about to be turned, and how deep. Firefly, are you receiving?”

“Roger, although it comes and goes.”

“I’m sure Mike will fill in any gaps.”

The lieutenant regarded Mike steadily as he talked. “First of all, thank you for agreeing to come to our office, Mr. Jenkins.”

Mike’s stare was just as steady right back at the man. “You extended an invitation that I really couldn’t refuse.”

“Quite. Now that we are alone, I wish to speak to you about Issako Sunia.”

“Never met the man.”

“Your protestations or denials are of no consequence. As I said, you are not under arrest.”

“So, I could just get up and walk out of here,” Mike replied.

Fang’s eyes narrowed. “You could. However, I doubt that you or the rest of your companions would get very far.”

Mike leaned forward. “You do not want to play ‘threaten the foreigner’ with me. Believe me, it won’t work.”

“Your name is not unknown to us, Mr. Jenkins.” The lieutenant smiled thinly. “You and your people have quite a reputation among certain intelligence circles. I know that the governments of several countries—powerful countries—handle you very delicately after a particular action in Albania. However, no one, including my own government, is willing to say why.” He consulted a piece of paper on the table. “This is the answer I received from my superiors after a standard inquiry about you. Quote: ‘Mr. Jenkins is considered a good friend of the Chinese people, and every courtesy should be extended to him at all bureaucratic and law enforcement levels.’”

He set the paper back down and regarded Mike. “Are you aware of what you have to do to be considered ‘a friend of the Chinese people’?”

“Not generally, no.”

“Neither am I. In fact, I’ve never even seen such a communiqué until this one arrived. Whoever you are, you have very powerful friends.”

Mike simply shrugged.

“Do I need to know what he’s talking about?” Jace whispered.

“No, and for your sake, hope that you never do,” Vanner replied.

Fang continued. “Then there is that matter of the incident in the mountains of Georgia. It has been described as an incredible stand of your people against an overwhelming force of Chechens. Your side was victorious in yet another mysterious mission, this time earning the thanks of Russia, I believe.”

Mike’s jaw worked, but he shrugged again. “Your point?”

“So, I am aware of who you are, whom you know, and what you can do. I have no desire to let this particular situation spin any more out of control any more than it already has.” Fang rubbed his chin. “This may be difficult to believe, Mr. Jenkins, but I am trying to work with you, not against you.”

“So far, the only evidence I’ve seen of that is that I’m not in jail, another thing you do not want to happen. If you really are on the level, why don’t you tell me what the hell is going on, and why two tac-assault teams just happened to be hanging around the mall in the ICC while I was there.”

“Fair enough. You happened to stumble into an ongoing investigation of Mr. Sunia and his activities in the city. We have been amassing evidence to arrest and subvert him in going after other triads and gangs in Hong Kong. The package that he was so desperate to obtain drew him to the attention of the Counter-Terrorism and Internal Security Division, which has been liaisoning with my department regarding this recent development.”

“Right. So, if he has the package, you can go arrest him, case closed.”

Fang’s smile this time was as cold as Mike’s when he was on mission. “Unfortunately, it is not so simple. Possession of that particular material is a grave crime, both here and in the People’s Republic of China. Without naming any names—” He cocked his head at Mike, “—we know who currently possesses that material. We need to learn who in China has high enough clearance to have access to it, as well as to whom are they selling it. With Sunia no doubt lying low after the—accident—in the carport, there still remains the problem of keeping the package moving along to its final destination.”

Mike blinked. “Am I hearing you correctly?”

“I believe so.” Fang consulted his watch. “In approximately five minutes, we will be releasing Mr. Than with our profuse apologies for detaining him. Once that is done, we will release you shortly thereafter. We would like you to contact him and set up a time and place to complete your exchange. Once that is done, we will step in to arrest Mr. Than, having seen him accept the stolen materials, and continue our investigation from there. You will be free to continue on your way, and would have the thanks of the Hong Kong police, and its government, to take with you.”

“What about the incident in the garage?”

“We’re already spinning it as a shootout between two rival gangs, with no mention of any foreigners involved. The local newspapers are filled with such stories on a regular basis. The public will accept that, and it will fade away soon enough.”

“All right, let Than know, and us as well.” Mike rose to leave.

Fang rose as well. “Then you will assist us?”

“I didn’t say that. It will help me if you put it out that we were held overnight, but released due to lack of evidence. After that gets around, I have to talk to Than and see if he’s even willing to still deal with us after all this.”

“I am sure that Mr. Than and you will come to some kind of arrangement. You are both businessmen, after all.” The police officer’s mouth quirked up in a wry smile. “Besides, if everything else fails, you can always mention that you most likely saved his life tonight.”

“Yeah, and not just once, either.”

Fang extended a business card. “Call me when everything’s ready.”

Mike took it with a cool smile. “I still haven’t agreed to do anything for you.”

Fang’s smile mirrored his. “But I have every confidence that you will make the right decision.”

* * *

“. . . and that’s it in a nutshell, Bob,” Mike said. “Uncle Sam is definitely not the only ones interested in these chips.”

“Of course not. The fact China’s tracking them doesn’t surprise me at all. However, I am surprised at how fast they got on to you.”

“Supposedly they were already tracking the guy who had stolen the chips in the first place. He hunted us down as we were talking to Than, and the Hong Kong PD came along for the ride.”

“Do you buy that story?”

“It’s as plausible as anything else China puts out in the press,” Mike replied. “Of course, given that business in Armenia, I’d imagine they want to keep an eye on me, too. Still, if you guys have anything on this Fang Gui, I’d love to see it.”

“I’ll see what I can turn up.” Pierson jotted the name down, then leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. “This Myanmar intel, how sure are you about it?”

“The guy I talked to really wanted to keep breathing, so I’d say it’s a solid lock.”

“Okay. And before I go talk to everyone again, remind me what I said about letting me know if you were going to China?”

“Hey, Hong Kong is not mainland China. If anything, it’s the bastard child of a three-way between the motherland, the U.S., and England. When you said ‘China,’ I thought you meant let you know if we were dropping into Beijing or Shanghai.”

“I did mean that. But I also meant anywhere
near
China. Things are precarious enough between us and them without any official entanglements—like a Hong Kong police lieutenant taking such an interest in you and your Keldara running around the city.”

“If it makes you feel any better, we were as surprised as you were.”

“It doesn’t really. You have to admit that it sounds damned fishy that they just ‘happened’ to be on the scene in time to talk to you.”

“I freely admit that. We’re already working on a way to get out from under Fang’s thumb. Answering to one master is enough for me, thanks.”

“We do pay well—not that I’m saying you’re in it just for the money, either.”

“Yeah. I mean, that is nice, assuming I survive long enough to collect.” Mike grinned. “But since I’m already up to my ass in alligators over here, is anything outstanding in the PRC you want me to handle? Should we drop in on the Premier?”

“As tempting as that sounds, do not even joke about it—even over a scrambled line.”

“See? I knew you hadn’t lost your sense of humor over this.”

“Not yet,” Bob grumped. “Talk to me after I inform the brass about this—it’ll probably be a much different story.”

* * *

“Myanmar? They used to be called Burma, right?”

“Yes, Mr. President. The military junta changed the country’s name from the ‘Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma’ to ‘Union of Myanmar’ in 1989,” the CIA director said. “They had been controlled by a military junta for more than forty-nine years. In 2008, they began transitioning to a democratic government through a constitutional referendum. Their first free elections were held in 2010.”

“Much of the media still refers to the country as ‘Burma’ to delegitimize the change,” The NSA director said with a roll of his eyes.

The President nodded. “Right, right—the secretary of state visited there recently, and we announced the exchange of ambassadors. It is my hope that Myanmar can be an example to the more repressive regimes in the area. That includes its much larger neighbor.”

“Yes sir, but from what we’ve seen, the country still has a ways to go. There is some concern some several quarters, including members of Congress, that Myanmar is simply putting a new face on the old regime.” The CIA director referred to a paper in front of him. “These issues begin with the 2010 elections, which many nations and the U.N. claimed was fraudulent. However, since then there have been several pro-democratic advancements made. These include the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader, from house arrest and allowing her to run for a seat in the national Senate, which she won handily.”

“Right. She’s the one I gave the medal to, right?”

“Exactly, sir. They also released more than six hundred fifty other political prisoners, created a National Human Rights Commission, enacted tighter regulation of their currency, passed new laws that permit labor unions and strikes, and relaxed the government’s censorship of the press.”

“That all sounds good to me. So what’s the problem?” the President asked.

The DCIA continued. “Reports from well-placed sources inside the country show that the military is still actively moving against several indigenous groups. Their tactics have included rape, genocide, and other terrorist acts. As I’m sure you recall, the U.S. government passed the Burma Freedom and Democracy Act in 2003. This act bans all imports from Burma, bans the export of financial services to that country, freezes the assets of certain Burmese financial institutions, and extends the visa restrictions for Burmese officials in our country. The BFDA is renewed annually, most recently during this past July. Although the U.N. and we have requested proof of demonstrable gains in democratic procedure, such as the establishment of an independent judicial system, they have not been able to supply any evidence, or even shown meaningful progress yet. My point is that Myanmar could improve its status with the U.S.—and the world—if they were to make true steps toward government reform instead of just lip service. The full report is available for your review if you wish.”

The President waved a hand. “That’s another matter. Right now, the nuclear control boards heading there means what exactly?”

The NSA director cleared his throat. “That is a good question—for starters, Myanmar doesn’t even have a nuclear reactor.”

“What?” This came from the secretary of defense.

“There had been plans announced for them to purchase a reactor and build it with help from Russia back in 2000. From what we’ve seen, there hasn’t been any movement on it since 2007,” the DCIA said.

“So, why are they going there?” the President asked. “Is the military planning to sell them to another nation?”

“We’re exploring several possible scenarios—one of them being that the military may have constructed an underground reactor in secret, possibly with help from North Korea,” the NSA director replied.

“Okay, let’s operate on that hypothesis. The chips come in, the reactor goes online, and?” the President asked.

“And perhaps Myanmar moves closer to processing yellowcake uranium for its own nuclear weapon. Or producing waste for dirty bombs,” the DCIA said.

The NSA director held up his hands. “To what end?”

The DCIA was more than ready for him this time. “While ostensibly democratic, Myanmar, or Burma—whichever you fucking want to call it—is still in a vary fragile state. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are going to be returning to their homeland over the coming months. They will further strain a nation already under pressure from decades of mismanagement and underdevelopment. This doesn’t take into consideration the numerous indigenous groups in the country—including the Han Chinese, Va, and Kachin—all of whom were involved in anti-government fighting as recently as 2009, and who probably do not share the current government’s goals. The military may wish to try to threaten them into cooperating. They may even plant evidence of nuclear activity among them to create a plausible reason to crack down even harder—”

The President interrupted. “Surely those groups were fighting the junta government, not the current one?”

“Yes and no. The Myanmar Army is still involved in actions against several groups even today. The fact remains that there are groups both inside and outside the current government that may wish to foment unrest to advance their own goals. This may possibly include members of the former junta itself, as we’re fairly sure there were several high-ranking generals who had to be persuaded to cede power. If they can create the right circumstances, I’m sure they would love to seize control again.”

“Could this be part of some kind of power play by one of Myanmar’s neighbors to bring them under another nation’s control?” the President asked.

“China was the obvious puppet master, however, given what Mike told us about the Hong Kong police’s involvement, it seems doubtful—” Pierson began.