Irving Waters - The Wuhan Mission

Jimmy turned around for a moment to look at them both: “You guys look like gothic Sonny and Cher!”

Jimmy reached over Xue Lin’s lap and opened the glove compartment.

“Open one of those burner phones. I have to call the Chairman and tell him what’s going on.”

Xue Lin smirked as she opened one of the phone’s plastic packaging and handed it to him. Lying seemed to be one of Jimmy’s greatest talents.

Xue Lin took over steering from the passenger seat while Jimmy dialed the Chairman’s direct line.

“Jimmy, it is lovely to hear your voice!” Boomed the Chairman.

“Hello sir. I have activity to report. Biosafety IV was breached!” Jimmy said dramatically, gesturing with his free hand.

“Thank you Jimmy. I just heard. We have an investigator on site.”

“Yes sir.”

“Jimmy, do you know where Dr. Wu is?”

“Sir, no sir. It seems that his phone is at the lab. I’m trying to track him down though. Do you know who is responsible yet sir?”

“Our investigator has an idea of who is involved. I’ll let you know if I need anything from you Jimmy.”

“Thank you sir.”

Jimmy broke the burner phone and threw it out the window.

The Chairman picked up his office phone: “Get me the investigator on site at the Wuhan lab.”

The Investigator answered his phone: “Mr. Chairman, how may I be of service?”

“I trust things are going well at the lab?”

“Not really sir. One of the female lab assistants took out three guards all by herself, and apparently she left with a Doctor Wu. There may also be some material missing from the safe. They are calling her ‘the pretty one’ sir. Also, there was a driver at the scene but no-one has been able to identify him. He had a Government ID, but the security guys didn’t get a good look sir.”

“Keep working on finding them. There’s something else: I need you to track down agent Jimmy Lin’s car. Does it have some kind of locator on it?”

“Sir, all Government cars have beacons which we can turn on remotely from the ‘Third Department’ sir.”

“Do it! Find him and take him into custody. You can question him when you are finished with the lab situation.”

“Very good sir. Thank you sir.”

The investigator called the number for the 3PLA.

After a pause and some static, the answer came: “This is the Third Department. Please sign in.”

The Investigator gave them his code: “The time is three, ten.”

There was a brief pause as the tech checked the sign in code.

“Go ahead sir.”

“I need you to turn on a car beacon . Name: Agent Jimmy Lin. Probable location: Wuhan or surrounding area.”

“Turning on sir. Stand by.” The tech typed code into his terminal.

“Yes sir, black Mercedes, registered in Wuhan. I have him sir. Would you like me to send tracking to your phone sir?”

“Go ahead.”

The investigator looked at the map on his phone. The car was still near Wuhan, but moving at speed.

“Good, send this to the Team Leader of the Response Unit who is here on site at the lab.”

“Yes sir, stand by.”

The Team Leader picked up his radio to answer the investigator’s call.

“Go ahead.”

“I need you to pick up the driver and occupants of the black Mercedes who will be on your phone’s map locator in a few seconds. Take your team. He is government, but take him into custody. Let me know where you are holding him.”

“Yes sir!”

The corporate cleaning van pulled up and parked a few houses down from the BBQ couple’s house in La Jolla, California that overlooked Windansea Beach. The driver pointed to the flashing red dot on the GPS locator map.

“Two locators… right… there! That’s them.”

Inside the house, Xue Lin’s adoptive parents were having a cocktail while watching a documentary about the sleeping sharks of Mexico. They had been enjoying their retirement in California and had no reason to believe that they would ever be dragged back into the fray of international espionage. Their daughter had been given a new name at the CIA and their familial connection was classified, so almost no-one knew.

The cool winter air blew off the Pacific Ocean. Four Chinese PLA operatives sat uncomfortably inside the van while the Team Leader, sitting on the front passenger side, looked through the thermal imaging scope that he had taken off his rifle to try to scan the house for ‘number of occupants’.

“Drive past slowly so I can get a better angle,” he said in Mandarin to the driver.

The van passed by the house slowly. “I show two adults, both sitting in the front room, ground floor.” said the Team Leader, clicking his scope back on to his AR-15 rifle. “Pull over in front of the house and turn off the headlights. Keep the engine running. We’ll see you in four minutes.”

The Team Leader turned to look at the four in the back.

“They are probably not armed, but they are trained, so stay professional. Do not go loud unless they open fire. And if you do have to return fire, make sure to keep one alive. Otherwise, just cuff and bag them.”

The sliding door opened and the team of five silently opened the front gate and approached the front door. The second in line came around and quietly picked the lock and gently swung the front door inward. Not a sound. The team entered the house, floorboards creaking. The couple, both in their mid-fifties were still watching TV. Both of them were startled by the Chinese intruders, but seeing all the barrels pointing at them, the couple slowly raised their hands without getting up.

“Who are YOU guys?” the man in the chair said to the Team Leader. “We didn’t order any food.”

Speaking English the Team Leader replied: “Just get slowly on the floor, face down, hands behind your back.”

Neither of them moved a muscle, except to look at each other.

“DO IT!”

The couple complied and allowed two of the team to zip tie them and put a black bag over each of their heads.

“Honey you really need to vacuum this rug,” the husband commented.

The Team Leader yelled: “Let’s go!”

The team exited the house quietly and packed into the van, unnoticed by the neighbors. The van’s headlights came back on as the van pulled out and drove away, headed for Highway 805 as the woman calmly threatened never to go to a Chinese buffet again.

Before long, the cleaning van pulled into a back alley in San Diego’s Chinatown. A garage door slid up and the van pulled in.

“Out! Time to renew your passports!”

“I’ve been meaning to do that for ages,” the husband said as they were both bustled out of the van towards what looked like a crude temporary photo studio in the corner.

“OK! smile for the camera, or we have to take another one after pulling fingernail out. Harder to smile then!”

The photographer lined each of them up, still zip-tied, and took their photos for their new American passports which were all but finished in front of the forger at his desk a few meters away.

“Where are we flying to fellas?” asked the wife, after the camera’s flash went off capturing a sweet but momentary smile.

“European holiday. You are meeting up with your daughter, but only if you behave. Otherwise Chinese agent kill her. So you be good. Don’t try to escape. Don’t try to hurt my men. Don’t alert airline staff. Just be good, and everything be fine. You see your daughter again. No problem.”