The Armageddon Machine by Mike Ramon
Chapter Fifteen
Beijing, People’s Republic of China
June 3 -- 00:03 UTC/8:03 am local time
General Zhang Jianguo picked up a stack of papers and riffled through them, then set them back down where he had found them on top of the heavy filing cabinet. He turned to face Lu Ping, who sat on the edge of her desk. When the General turned back to her Lu Ping stood up. They were in Lu Ping’s office, the same office she had occupied while a member of the Threat Assessment and Management Department, deep in the heart of the Ministry of State Security headquarters. She no longer worked for TAMD, instead fully devoting her time to her post as head of the Recovery Team.
“I hope that you secure these documents before you leave your office, Madame Lu.”
“Of course, General. All documents are secured in one of my filing cabinets, and I always lock my office door behind me.”
“Very good. Perhaps it would be prudent to also post a guard outside your office whenever you are away.”
Lu Ping thought about this.
“You don’t think I need to take such precautions here in the Ministry building, do you?”
“Sadly, I do. One can never be too careful when so much hangs in the balance.”
“Then I will post a guard, General.”
General Zhang looked around the cramped office; Lu ping imagined that he was wondering why the head of the Recovery Team was working out of such an inauspicious little office.
“How is the search going,” General Zhang asked. “I read all the daily reports, of course, but I would like to hear it from you personally.”
Lu Ping took a deep breath.
“As you are aware, General, the trail went cold after the incident in Tianjin. No clues of any import were uncovered that could lead us to the current location of Dragon’s Breath. Radiation readings tell us that the weapon was there, and recently, but that is all. None of the criminals survived the raid, so we were not able to interrogate anyone for information. The search of the port yielded nothing, as well.”
“Very good, but this information is days old,” the General said with a hint of impatience in his voice. “What is the current state of things?”
“Port security forces nationwide are on high alert, as well as border protection forces at all major crossings, with special attention given to crossings into the Democratic People’s Republic.”
General Zhang nodded, though Lu Ping couldn’t tell whether he did so because he was pleased with what he had heard, or simply to acknowledge that he understood.
“Speaking of North Korea,” said Lu Ping, “It would help if I were able to communicate directly with my counterpart over there.”
“What counterpart?”
“Surely the North Koreans have been informed of what is happening.”
“They need to know nothing about Dragon’s Breath,” the General said. “They have been told that a prototype missile was stolen from Xining. We let them know how pleased we would be if they were to make a move against the Violet Dawn organization before the missile could get into the hands of those maniacs. But you know how they are over there. Sometimes they claim that they have no information on the whereabouts of any members of Violet Dawn, and other times they deny that the group even exists. It depends on what they feel like claiming on any particular day.”
“But I thought they were eager to rid themselves of the Violet Dawn menace. If this is true, then why are they so reluctant to move against them, or even to admit that they exist?”
“There are a number of possibilities,” General Zhang replied. “It could be that they are simply embarrassed to admit that this group has been able to defy the government for so long without punishment. There are more than a few inflated egos in that government. This could account for why they at times deny their existence. Or perhaps they are scared of the group, and afraid of the consequences of a crackdown.”
“Perhaps they really don’t know where the Violet Dawn cells are located,” Lu Ping suggested.
General Zhang shook his head doubtfully.
“It is possible, but not likely. They have informers everywhere, from the cities to the countryside. They must know something. There is another possibility.”
“What is that?”
“We have considered the possibility that Violet Dawn is not a rebel group at all, but that they are actually controlled by the state.”
Lu Ping said nothing as she considered the implications of this.
“Who the hell knows,” General Zhang said, sounding tired. “That fat little boy running things over there is so unpredictable that anything is possible.”
“Whether Violet dawn is controlled by the state or not, you’re saying that we should not expect much help from the DPRK government?” Lu Ping asked.
“Correct. We are in this alone. Which makes your work all the more important, Madame Lu. I’m sure you are aware that there are those who questioned my judgment when I chose you to head the Recovery Team. Those who said that you were untested, unready to be trusted with such an important task.”
Lu Ping said nothing; she was well aware.
“But I have faith in you,” General Zhang continued.
“I am honored and grateful for your faith, General. I promise that I will not betray it.”
“I am sure that you won’t, Lu Ping.”
The General checked his watch, an impressive-looking Rolex that Lu Ping thought must cost nearly one year’s salary for her.
“I must be going,” he said. “I have important matters to attend to. As do you, Madame Lu. I hope we can speak again soon, and that the news will be good.”
“I hope so, as well.”
General Zhang snapped odd a stiff salute. Lu Ping wasn’t certain of protocol; being a civilian, she didn’t know if she was expected to salute back. The General didn’t give her time to salute, however, as he opened the door and stepped out of the office, closing the door behind him.
Lu Ping walked behind her desk and sat down. She did have many things to attend to, but she felt that she needed just a few minutes of quiet. She had never considered the possibility that Violet Dawn was being secretly run by the North Korean government. If it was true it would be another major complication in an already complicated situation. It was bad enough that she couldn’t expect any help from the North Koreans, but if they were actively working against the recovery efforts it definitely added a new wrinkle to the situation.
There was, however, another scenario that Lu Ping had considered. It had been bugging her for some time, gnawing at her, robbing her of sleep. She picked up her phone--a secure line--and dialed an old friend.
Beijing, People’s Republic of China
June 3 -- 00:03 UTC/8:03 am local time
General Zhang Jianguo picked up a stack of papers and riffled through them, then set them back down where he had found them on top of the heavy filing cabinet. He turned to face Lu Ping, who sat on the edge of her desk. When the General turned back to her Lu Ping stood up. They were in Lu Ping’s office, the same office she had occupied while a member of the Threat Assessment and Management Department, deep in the heart of the Ministry of State Security headquarters. She no longer worked for TAMD, instead fully devoting her time to her post as head of the Recovery Team.
“I hope that you secure these documents before you leave your office, Madame Lu.”
“Of course, General. All documents are secured in one of my filing cabinets, and I always lock my office door behind me.”
“Very good. Perhaps it would be prudent to also post a guard outside your office whenever you are away.”
Lu Ping thought about this.
“You don’t think I need to take such precautions here in the Ministry building, do you?”
“Sadly, I do. One can never be too careful when so much hangs in the balance.”
“Then I will post a guard, General.”
General Zhang looked around the cramped office; Lu ping imagined that he was wondering why the head of the Recovery Team was working out of such an inauspicious little office.
“How is the search going,” General Zhang asked. “I read all the daily reports, of course, but I would like to hear it from you personally.”
Lu Ping took a deep breath.
“As you are aware, General, the trail went cold after the incident in Tianjin. No clues of any import were uncovered that could lead us to the current location of Dragon’s Breath. Radiation readings tell us that the weapon was there, and recently, but that is all. None of the criminals survived the raid, so we were not able to interrogate anyone for information. The search of the port yielded nothing, as well.”
“Very good, but this information is days old,” the General said with a hint of impatience in his voice. “What is the current state of things?”
“Port security forces nationwide are on high alert, as well as border protection forces at all major crossings, with special attention given to crossings into the Democratic People’s Republic.”
General Zhang nodded, though Lu Ping couldn’t tell whether he did so because he was pleased with what he had heard, or simply to acknowledge that he understood.
“Speaking of North Korea,” said Lu Ping, “It would help if I were able to communicate directly with my counterpart over there.”
“What counterpart?”
“Surely the North Koreans have been informed of what is happening.”
“They need to know nothing about Dragon’s Breath,” the General said. “They have been told that a prototype missile was stolen from Xining. We let them know how pleased we would be if they were to make a move against the Violet Dawn organization before the missile could get into the hands of those maniacs. But you know how they are over there. Sometimes they claim that they have no information on the whereabouts of any members of Violet Dawn, and other times they deny that the group even exists. It depends on what they feel like claiming on any particular day.”
“But I thought they were eager to rid themselves of the Violet Dawn menace. If this is true, then why are they so reluctant to move against them, or even to admit that they exist?”
“There are a number of possibilities,” General Zhang replied. “It could be that they are simply embarrassed to admit that this group has been able to defy the government for so long without punishment. There are more than a few inflated egos in that government. This could account for why they at times deny their existence. Or perhaps they are scared of the group, and afraid of the consequences of a crackdown.”
“Perhaps they really don’t know where the Violet Dawn cells are located,” Lu Ping suggested.
General Zhang shook his head doubtfully.
“It is possible, but not likely. They have informers everywhere, from the cities to the countryside. They must know something. There is another possibility.”
“What is that?”
“We have considered the possibility that Violet Dawn is not a rebel group at all, but that they are actually controlled by the state.”
Lu Ping said nothing as she considered the implications of this.
“Who the hell knows,” General Zhang said, sounding tired. “That fat little boy running things over there is so unpredictable that anything is possible.”
“Whether Violet dawn is controlled by the state or not, you’re saying that we should not expect much help from the DPRK government?” Lu Ping asked.
“Correct. We are in this alone. Which makes your work all the more important, Madame Lu. I’m sure you are aware that there are those who questioned my judgment when I chose you to head the Recovery Team. Those who said that you were untested, unready to be trusted with such an important task.”
Lu Ping said nothing; she was well aware.
“But I have faith in you,” General Zhang continued.
“I am honored and grateful for your faith, General. I promise that I will not betray it.”
“I am sure that you won’t, Lu Ping.”
The General checked his watch, an impressive-looking Rolex that Lu Ping thought must cost nearly one year’s salary for her.
“I must be going,” he said. “I have important matters to attend to. As do you, Madame Lu. I hope we can speak again soon, and that the news will be good.”
“I hope so, as well.”
General Zhang snapped odd a stiff salute. Lu Ping wasn’t certain of protocol; being a civilian, she didn’t know if she was expected to salute back. The General didn’t give her time to salute, however, as he opened the door and stepped out of the office, closing the door behind him.
Lu Ping walked behind her desk and sat down. She did have many things to attend to, but she felt that she needed just a few minutes of quiet. She had never considered the possibility that Violet Dawn was being secretly run by the North Korean government. If it was true it would be another major complication in an already complicated situation. It was bad enough that she couldn’t expect any help from the North Koreans, but if they were actively working against the recovery efforts it definitely added a new wrinkle to the situation.
There was, however, another scenario that Lu Ping had considered. It had been bugging her for some time, gnawing at her, robbing her of sleep. She picked up her phone--a secure line--and dialed an old friend.