Interception, p.10
Interception, page 10
Javin nodded. The GIA was the General Intelligence Agency of Mongolia, and the GIA had a good relationship with Javin’s service. This relationship would be severely damaged if the GIA discovered the foreign agent was running a covert operation in the country, an operation that not only they had not authorized, but also were unaware of.
Bateaux continued, “Plus, we don’t know if Turbat—if that’s the hacker’s real name, and we know most likely it isn’t—is dragging you into a trap.”
“It didn’t sound like that, sir.”
“They never do, Javin. But it’s a possibility.”
“Of course it is.” Javin tried to hide the disappointment in his tone.
“Javin, I’m not saying ‘no,’ but we’re playing with fire here. After burning bridges with Turkey and Syria, we need to—no, we must avoid a scandal.”
“I’ll be treading lightly, sir.”
“Very, very lightly, Javin. No shootings, no killings, in and out, like you were never there. Can you do that?”
Javin shrugged. His boss was not asking the impossible, and Javin had conducted even harder operations in the past. But he could not make such commitments, because a lot did not depend on him, especially if Turbat was luring Javin into a trap. Bateaux knows that, so why is he asking me for my word? “I will do my best, sir, not to draw attention.” But if they start shooting at me, all bets are off. He nodded and kept the thought to himself.
“Good. Let me consider it, and I’ll let you know. It shouldn’t take me more than an hour, two at the max.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“No worries, Javin. Be safe.”
“Will do.”
He drew in another deep breath, unsure about how he felt regarding the Mongolian segment of this operation. He wanted to meet with Turbat and get to the bottom of the Chinese affair regarding the accident and the potential mole inside the MSS. He glanced again at the email printout Turbat had sent. It was supposed to be a communication between someone that went by the initial “G” and a senior official who was using an email easily connected to the Communist government of China. The account ended in gov.cn. Is this person so clueless, or overconfident that he’s using his real work email account? Or is someone trying to set this guy up, and me as well? He had seen both scenarios play out in other covert operations. There’s only one way to find out.
He shrugged and read the email again. Turbat had redacted the name of the sender and a few sentences, but the official was telling Mr. “G”—who Javin assumed was an aide—to let his boss know that the “deed was done.” The deed was obviously the accident, considering references in the email to the highway and the make and model of the vehicle.
Javin got onto the Internet and began to book his flight to Mongolia, which was only two hours and thirty minutes. He had a choice of Mongolian Airlines—which he had never heard of—or Air China, which he and Claudia had taken when they flew from Vienna. So he chose Air China. Javin wanted to be ready when his chief authorized the operation. If he didn’t—but Javin had a gut feeling that he would—canceling the flight was only a click away.
He was confirming the last details when the apartment’s door creaked, and Claudia said, “Supper’s here, gentlemen.”
“Sweet, I’m starving,” Benjamin said and appeared in the hallway. He took one of the plastic bags from Zhang and placed it on the table.
Javin tapped a few keys and finalized his flight.
Zhang glanced at Javin standing near the couches and said, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, why?”
“You have this expression, like something bad has happened.”
Javin tried to smile, but his face produced only a small grin. “Just thinking about our case.”
“Anything new?”
“No, not really. But let’s eat.”
“No updates?” Zhang looked at Benjamin, who shook his head.
Javin said, “No, but let’s pick this up after supper. We all need a few minutes to unwind.”
“Sure, why not?” Zhang said.
They all sat around the table as Benjamin and Zhang began to open the silver foil food containers, and the delicious smell began to fill the dining room. There was a lot of jiaozi, or dumplings filled with minced pork, and zhajiang mian, or noodles with soybean paste, with seven kinds of vegetables and pork. Sweet-toothed Claudia had not forgotten to add a box of tuckahoe pies, which were a round, thin pancake-like dessert wrapped in sugar, honey, and nuts.
Javin began with the dumplings, but struggled with the chopsticks. After almost dropping one of the dumplings in the chili dip, he shrugged and picked it up with his fingertips.
Zhang gave him a grin, then looked at Claudia. “We should have gotten forks…”
“I’ll be fine,” Javin said. “I’m not that hungry anyway, and soon, I’ll have to go.”
“Where?”
“The airport.”
Zhang put down his chopsticks. “You’re leaving? And you were not going to tell me?”
“I’m telling you.”
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Zhang cocked his head. “That’s strange … Is it related to this op?” He waved with his hand around the table.
Javin nodded. “Yes, it is. But I won’t be long. Just a day.”
“Do you have to go right at this time?”
“Of course.” Javin’s voice turned terse, as he didn’t feel like he had to explain himself to Zhang. “Otherwise, I would stay here. But, as I said earlier, there’s no progress.” He glanced at Benjamin, who nodded.
“We’ll keep trying,” Benjamin said, but avoided looking straight at Zhang.
Javin didn’t like lying to Zhang, but there was no other choice. The Canadian agent would have to keep Zhang in the dark, until it was determined beyond any doubt that he could be trusted.
Zhang nodded, but his face showed a skeptical look. “All right. When will you come back?”
“I’ll be gone for twenty-four hours, so the day after tomorrow.”
Javin had already scheduled his flight to Barcelona via Munich, Germany. He was going to go ahead with the plan, unless his chief approved the Mongolian detour. Javin glanced at his watch. It had been about fifteen minutes since he talked to Bateaux. The director said it could take up to two hours. Javin sighed. He hated waiting.
Zhang opened his mouth, and it seemed as if he wanted to say something. Then he shook his head and reached for another serving of noodles.
Claudia glanced at Javin and said, “I’ll drive you to the airport, if you want…”
“Sure. I don’t want to pay for a cab, if I can help it.” He looked at Zhang and said, “Do you mind if we take the BMW?”
Zhang shrugged. “Sure. When are you leaving?”
“Shortly. As soon as we’re done eating…”
“When’s your flight?”
His plane to Munich didn’t leave for at least another three hours, but Javin wanted to give himself plenty of time in case he needed to change plans. The flight to Mongolia left in six hours, if Bateaux authorized that mission. Javin finished chewing the third of his dumplings, then said, “If there’s traffic, I don’t want to miss my flight.”
Zhang shrugged again and a grin formed on his face. He reached for more noodles.
Javin interpreted the grin as a clear sign that he had not answered Zhang’s question in a satisfying way. Eh, it will do.
About twenty minutes later, Javin and Claudia were walking toward the SUV. Javin handed her his phone. “All this happened while you were gone.” He had typed a brief account of the conversation with Turbat and the plan to meet the hacker in Mongolia’s capital.
Claudia speed-read through, then let out a gasp. “Wow. I did miss a lot.”
“Yes, and too bad we can’t talk about it until we get to the airport.”
“Why not in the BMW?”
“Could be bugged.”
“You think?”
“I’m positive. It’s MSS. We do it with our vehicles all the time.”
Claudia nodded and slowed down as she scrolled through the page. “I have so many questions. Let’s talk for awhile before we head out.”
“No, Zhang will clue in that we haven’t left.”
“GPS in the BMW?”
“You got it.”
“At least tell me I’m going with you.”
“Sorry, I need you here.”
“But this is connected to the op here.”
“Right, and depending on what I find in U-tar, I might need you to act swiftly. Plus, if we both leave, Zhang will grow even more suspicious.”
Claudia offered a hesitant nod. “And Yael? How are you handling her?”
Javin sighed. “Not sure. But let’s talk when we get to the airport, shall we?” He gestured at the BMW SUV about four steps away.
“Sure. It’s going to be a long ride to the airport, if we’re all quiet…”
“We won’t be. But we’ll talk about stuff that doesn’t matter, as if there are eyes and ears around us.”
He slid into the driver’s seat and waited until Claudia had buckled her seatbelt. Then he hit the gas, and the SUV flew along Jinsong Road.
Chapter Seventeen
Beijing Capital International Airport
Beijing, China
Javin and Claudia had fun talking about everything in general and nothing in particular. Javin felt like he was another person as they talked about scrapbooking, gardening, horseback riding, and everything else he disliked or never thought he would take. Anyone who had ever studied his or Claudia’s file would discover than none of what the agents were saying was true. But they were trained to have a detailed background cover story ready, for situations like this. They had become familiar with the terminology of these activities, and, sounded as if they were really a vital part of their lives.
At the airport, Javin finished his check-in with Air China. He had no luggage but for his small rucksack that was his carry-on. He folded the boarding pass and put it inside his wallet in his back jeans pocket. There was a coffeehouse near the security check and, since he had plenty of time to kill, they decided to sit down for a few minutes. They ordered tall black coffees, then found a table at a comfortable distance from the nearest patrons and travelers hurrying to catch their flights.
Javin told Claudia everything about Turbat’s promise to hand them the intelligence about the people who had organized the accident and who were behind this entire scheme. She asked a lot of questions, mostly about Turbat’s motivation, as well as the email that seemed to portray the senior Chinese government official as a complete moron. Claudia insisted that she should go with Javin to Mongolia, but he pointed out that she was needed in Beijing, especially if Turbat was not SPArrow, and this was a set-up.
Claudia leaned closer to Javin and said, “If this is a set-up, that’s one more reason why you need me.”
“Agreed, but in this case, I need you here. Otherwise, Zhang will figure out we’re onto something and are keeping him in the dark.”
“Oh, who cares about him?”
“We must care. With all the shootings and the way things are going sideways at every turn, we need to keep Zhang happy, along with Captain Wu.”
Claudia frowned and shrugged. “It seems you’ve made up your mind...”
“Only after a lot of consideration. It is the best option.”
“For the op maybe, but definitely not for you.”
Javin sipped his coffee and said nothing.
Claudia reached for his hand. “Javin, I ... I don’t want to lose you. If this Turbat character is luring you into an ambush, you’ll have no back-up, no one with you...”
“I’ll be careful, Claudia.”
She sighed and gave Javin’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You’d better. Otherwise, your Russian girlfriend wouldn’t be too pleased.”
Javin rolled his eyes. “Come on, Claudia.”
“Hey, you know Russians have feelings too…”
Javin nodded.
“Have you told her you won’t make the meeting?”
“I don’t know that. Bateaux still hasn’t authorized this op.”
“You know he’ll do it.”
“Probably, but I can’t cancel with Mila until I know for certain.”
“Okay. How about Yael?”
“I still have nothing for her. I was hoping that Mila could be of help.”
“Not if you cancel on her.”
“I know. To go or not to go, right?”
Claudia nodded and sipped the last of her coffee. “I’m having another one. You?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Javin glanced at the sea of faces filling the hall. An aircraft, or two, must have just arrived, since there were more people ambling about than a few minutes ago. Most of them were Chinese or Asians, with only a handful of Caucasians. He scanned the faces, doubtful that someone from the MSS would be watching them. However, he knew they were aware of his location. Even if Zhang hadn’t informed them, the GPS-equipped SUV parked outside the terminal was a sure giveaway.
Javin’s eyes stopped as he studied one of the faces. The man was small-statured and thin and had turned his back slightly toward Javin. He could still see a part of the man’s profile. The nose and the jawline and the way the man was crouched ... It reminded him of Han. And the image of the hacker screaming for help. He was looking at Javin, begging for him to come and drag him away from the line of fire. What if I had gone to him? He would probably still be alive...
“Javin, what’s going on?”
“Eh, what?” He glanced at Claudia, startled by her words.
“You have this dark look on your face ... as if you’ve seen a ghost.” She placed a coffee cup in front of Javin and took her seat.
“Well, fairly close. Look at that man ... Oh, he just disappeared.”
“What man?”
“One of the passengers. He looked just like Han.”
“Oh, and you’re wondering what if you had helped him?”
Javin nodded.
“It’s survivor’s guilt, Javin. You know all about it.”
“I do, but it doesn’t make me feel any better, Claudia. This life, the things we do, it always seems to cause people to die around us.”
“Not always, Javin, and mostly it’s not our fault. In this case, Han used to work for MSS. Then he turned freelancer, working for some bad people. He had cast his lot in life before we even entered the picture.”
“Maybe that’s true, but we certainly didn’t help.”
“We were in the process of helping. Look, this happens, sometimes more often than we’d like it to. But we can’t go forward blaming ourselves. That’s a burden too heavy to carry...”
“Yes, I know that, Claudia. But sometimes it feels like we have such a short time to live, and we waste so much of it chasing ghosts all over the world. And for what?”
“So that our people can sleep in peace, knowing no one will blow them to pieces the next time they board a plane or go to the mall or a concert. That’s why, Javin.”
He nodded at Claudia. “So we eliminate a guy or two or ten. Then what? Others will take their place. If we don’t deal with the cause, we’re just going in circles.”
Claudia took a small sip. “Oh, still too hot. I don’t know about that, Javin. That’s politics, way out of my jurisdiction and beyond my pay grade...”
“I know ... It’s just ... Sometimes, I feel this is all so useless.”
“It’s not. This is worth our time and our lives. Look, you and I, we’re much better prepared to meet these terrorists, these thugs, whoever they are, and who are plotting to hurt our people. We can’t let them down or abandon them.”
“And no one is saying we’ll do that.” Javin reached for his coffee and smiled.
“I think I should probably go with you to Mongolia.”
Before Javin had a chance to shake his head, his phone rang. It was one of his burner phones, and he used this one only for communications with his boss. “Yes, sir,” Javin said. He listened for a long moment, then nodded and smiled at Claudia. “I understand. I’ll take utmost care. Yes, of course. She’s here. Right away.” He offered the phone to Claudia. “Bateaux wants to talk to you.”
Claudia frowned and gave Javin a sideways glance.
He said, “It’s all good.”
Claudia picked up the phone. “Yes, Mr. Bateaux. How are you?”
She listened and nodded, as Javin had done a few moments ago. Then she said, “Right, yes, but what if—” She shook her head as their boss interrupted her. “I ... I disagree, sir, I think it’s—” Another interruption, followed by her headshake. “Okay, of course, we’ll do as you say. Sure, sure. Here’s Javin again.” She pursed her lips and gave Javin back his phone.
He spoke to Bateaux for a few seconds, then hung up. When he looked at Claudia, she said, “Well, you can call Mila now and give her the bad news.”
“And you’ll keep an eye on Zhang and the Beijing op.”
“I have no other choice, do I?”
Javin shrugged. “I’ll update you every hour, okay?”
“Still not good enough. Not when someone sneaks up on you.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
Claudia gave Javin a small, tired smile. “I hope it goes like that, Javin. I truly do.”
They spent another fifteen minutes chatting about anything but the operation at hand and Javin’s imminent departure. Then they walked back to the Air China counter, where Javin canceled his flight to Munich and received a new boarding pass for the next flight to Ulaanbaatar. He tried hard, but could not shake the eerie feeling that this was the last time he was going to see Claudia. He kept the gloomy thought to himself, but gave her a tight hug when she left him at the security checkpoint. Javin gave her a final wave, then made his way through the line snaking through the area.
After a thorough pat-down, he collected his belongings, put on his shoes, and made his way to the gate. The waiting area was not too crowded, since there was over an hour until boarding time. He sat across from an Asian family: mom, dad, and a teenage girl. All three of them were fully immersed in their electronic devices, typing as fast as they could. Javin resisted the urge to do the same: check his phone or call Mila. I have to talk to her sooner or later. But I’d rather it be later.
Bateaux continued, “Plus, we don’t know if Turbat—if that’s the hacker’s real name, and we know most likely it isn’t—is dragging you into a trap.”
“It didn’t sound like that, sir.”
“They never do, Javin. But it’s a possibility.”
“Of course it is.” Javin tried to hide the disappointment in his tone.
“Javin, I’m not saying ‘no,’ but we’re playing with fire here. After burning bridges with Turkey and Syria, we need to—no, we must avoid a scandal.”
“I’ll be treading lightly, sir.”
“Very, very lightly, Javin. No shootings, no killings, in and out, like you were never there. Can you do that?”
Javin shrugged. His boss was not asking the impossible, and Javin had conducted even harder operations in the past. But he could not make such commitments, because a lot did not depend on him, especially if Turbat was luring Javin into a trap. Bateaux knows that, so why is he asking me for my word? “I will do my best, sir, not to draw attention.” But if they start shooting at me, all bets are off. He nodded and kept the thought to himself.
“Good. Let me consider it, and I’ll let you know. It shouldn’t take me more than an hour, two at the max.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“No worries, Javin. Be safe.”
“Will do.”
He drew in another deep breath, unsure about how he felt regarding the Mongolian segment of this operation. He wanted to meet with Turbat and get to the bottom of the Chinese affair regarding the accident and the potential mole inside the MSS. He glanced again at the email printout Turbat had sent. It was supposed to be a communication between someone that went by the initial “G” and a senior official who was using an email easily connected to the Communist government of China. The account ended in gov.cn. Is this person so clueless, or overconfident that he’s using his real work email account? Or is someone trying to set this guy up, and me as well? He had seen both scenarios play out in other covert operations. There’s only one way to find out.
He shrugged and read the email again. Turbat had redacted the name of the sender and a few sentences, but the official was telling Mr. “G”—who Javin assumed was an aide—to let his boss know that the “deed was done.” The deed was obviously the accident, considering references in the email to the highway and the make and model of the vehicle.
Javin got onto the Internet and began to book his flight to Mongolia, which was only two hours and thirty minutes. He had a choice of Mongolian Airlines—which he had never heard of—or Air China, which he and Claudia had taken when they flew from Vienna. So he chose Air China. Javin wanted to be ready when his chief authorized the operation. If he didn’t—but Javin had a gut feeling that he would—canceling the flight was only a click away.
He was confirming the last details when the apartment’s door creaked, and Claudia said, “Supper’s here, gentlemen.”
“Sweet, I’m starving,” Benjamin said and appeared in the hallway. He took one of the plastic bags from Zhang and placed it on the table.
Javin tapped a few keys and finalized his flight.
Zhang glanced at Javin standing near the couches and said, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, why?”
“You have this expression, like something bad has happened.”
Javin tried to smile, but his face produced only a small grin. “Just thinking about our case.”
“Anything new?”
“No, not really. But let’s eat.”
“No updates?” Zhang looked at Benjamin, who shook his head.
Javin said, “No, but let’s pick this up after supper. We all need a few minutes to unwind.”
“Sure, why not?” Zhang said.
They all sat around the table as Benjamin and Zhang began to open the silver foil food containers, and the delicious smell began to fill the dining room. There was a lot of jiaozi, or dumplings filled with minced pork, and zhajiang mian, or noodles with soybean paste, with seven kinds of vegetables and pork. Sweet-toothed Claudia had not forgotten to add a box of tuckahoe pies, which were a round, thin pancake-like dessert wrapped in sugar, honey, and nuts.
Javin began with the dumplings, but struggled with the chopsticks. After almost dropping one of the dumplings in the chili dip, he shrugged and picked it up with his fingertips.
Zhang gave him a grin, then looked at Claudia. “We should have gotten forks…”
“I’ll be fine,” Javin said. “I’m not that hungry anyway, and soon, I’ll have to go.”
“Where?”
“The airport.”
Zhang put down his chopsticks. “You’re leaving? And you were not going to tell me?”
“I’m telling you.”
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Zhang cocked his head. “That’s strange … Is it related to this op?” He waved with his hand around the table.
Javin nodded. “Yes, it is. But I won’t be long. Just a day.”
“Do you have to go right at this time?”
“Of course.” Javin’s voice turned terse, as he didn’t feel like he had to explain himself to Zhang. “Otherwise, I would stay here. But, as I said earlier, there’s no progress.” He glanced at Benjamin, who nodded.
“We’ll keep trying,” Benjamin said, but avoided looking straight at Zhang.
Javin didn’t like lying to Zhang, but there was no other choice. The Canadian agent would have to keep Zhang in the dark, until it was determined beyond any doubt that he could be trusted.
Zhang nodded, but his face showed a skeptical look. “All right. When will you come back?”
“I’ll be gone for twenty-four hours, so the day after tomorrow.”
Javin had already scheduled his flight to Barcelona via Munich, Germany. He was going to go ahead with the plan, unless his chief approved the Mongolian detour. Javin glanced at his watch. It had been about fifteen minutes since he talked to Bateaux. The director said it could take up to two hours. Javin sighed. He hated waiting.
Zhang opened his mouth, and it seemed as if he wanted to say something. Then he shook his head and reached for another serving of noodles.
Claudia glanced at Javin and said, “I’ll drive you to the airport, if you want…”
“Sure. I don’t want to pay for a cab, if I can help it.” He looked at Zhang and said, “Do you mind if we take the BMW?”
Zhang shrugged. “Sure. When are you leaving?”
“Shortly. As soon as we’re done eating…”
“When’s your flight?”
His plane to Munich didn’t leave for at least another three hours, but Javin wanted to give himself plenty of time in case he needed to change plans. The flight to Mongolia left in six hours, if Bateaux authorized that mission. Javin finished chewing the third of his dumplings, then said, “If there’s traffic, I don’t want to miss my flight.”
Zhang shrugged again and a grin formed on his face. He reached for more noodles.
Javin interpreted the grin as a clear sign that he had not answered Zhang’s question in a satisfying way. Eh, it will do.
About twenty minutes later, Javin and Claudia were walking toward the SUV. Javin handed her his phone. “All this happened while you were gone.” He had typed a brief account of the conversation with Turbat and the plan to meet the hacker in Mongolia’s capital.
Claudia speed-read through, then let out a gasp. “Wow. I did miss a lot.”
“Yes, and too bad we can’t talk about it until we get to the airport.”
“Why not in the BMW?”
“Could be bugged.”
“You think?”
“I’m positive. It’s MSS. We do it with our vehicles all the time.”
Claudia nodded and slowed down as she scrolled through the page. “I have so many questions. Let’s talk for awhile before we head out.”
“No, Zhang will clue in that we haven’t left.”
“GPS in the BMW?”
“You got it.”
“At least tell me I’m going with you.”
“Sorry, I need you here.”
“But this is connected to the op here.”
“Right, and depending on what I find in U-tar, I might need you to act swiftly. Plus, if we both leave, Zhang will grow even more suspicious.”
Claudia offered a hesitant nod. “And Yael? How are you handling her?”
Javin sighed. “Not sure. But let’s talk when we get to the airport, shall we?” He gestured at the BMW SUV about four steps away.
“Sure. It’s going to be a long ride to the airport, if we’re all quiet…”
“We won’t be. But we’ll talk about stuff that doesn’t matter, as if there are eyes and ears around us.”
He slid into the driver’s seat and waited until Claudia had buckled her seatbelt. Then he hit the gas, and the SUV flew along Jinsong Road.
Chapter Seventeen
Beijing Capital International Airport
Beijing, China
Javin and Claudia had fun talking about everything in general and nothing in particular. Javin felt like he was another person as they talked about scrapbooking, gardening, horseback riding, and everything else he disliked or never thought he would take. Anyone who had ever studied his or Claudia’s file would discover than none of what the agents were saying was true. But they were trained to have a detailed background cover story ready, for situations like this. They had become familiar with the terminology of these activities, and, sounded as if they were really a vital part of their lives.
At the airport, Javin finished his check-in with Air China. He had no luggage but for his small rucksack that was his carry-on. He folded the boarding pass and put it inside his wallet in his back jeans pocket. There was a coffeehouse near the security check and, since he had plenty of time to kill, they decided to sit down for a few minutes. They ordered tall black coffees, then found a table at a comfortable distance from the nearest patrons and travelers hurrying to catch their flights.
Javin told Claudia everything about Turbat’s promise to hand them the intelligence about the people who had organized the accident and who were behind this entire scheme. She asked a lot of questions, mostly about Turbat’s motivation, as well as the email that seemed to portray the senior Chinese government official as a complete moron. Claudia insisted that she should go with Javin to Mongolia, but he pointed out that she was needed in Beijing, especially if Turbat was not SPArrow, and this was a set-up.
Claudia leaned closer to Javin and said, “If this is a set-up, that’s one more reason why you need me.”
“Agreed, but in this case, I need you here. Otherwise, Zhang will figure out we’re onto something and are keeping him in the dark.”
“Oh, who cares about him?”
“We must care. With all the shootings and the way things are going sideways at every turn, we need to keep Zhang happy, along with Captain Wu.”
Claudia frowned and shrugged. “It seems you’ve made up your mind...”
“Only after a lot of consideration. It is the best option.”
“For the op maybe, but definitely not for you.”
Javin sipped his coffee and said nothing.
Claudia reached for his hand. “Javin, I ... I don’t want to lose you. If this Turbat character is luring you into an ambush, you’ll have no back-up, no one with you...”
“I’ll be careful, Claudia.”
She sighed and gave Javin’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You’d better. Otherwise, your Russian girlfriend wouldn’t be too pleased.”
Javin rolled his eyes. “Come on, Claudia.”
“Hey, you know Russians have feelings too…”
Javin nodded.
“Have you told her you won’t make the meeting?”
“I don’t know that. Bateaux still hasn’t authorized this op.”
“You know he’ll do it.”
“Probably, but I can’t cancel with Mila until I know for certain.”
“Okay. How about Yael?”
“I still have nothing for her. I was hoping that Mila could be of help.”
“Not if you cancel on her.”
“I know. To go or not to go, right?”
Claudia nodded and sipped the last of her coffee. “I’m having another one. You?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Javin glanced at the sea of faces filling the hall. An aircraft, or two, must have just arrived, since there were more people ambling about than a few minutes ago. Most of them were Chinese or Asians, with only a handful of Caucasians. He scanned the faces, doubtful that someone from the MSS would be watching them. However, he knew they were aware of his location. Even if Zhang hadn’t informed them, the GPS-equipped SUV parked outside the terminal was a sure giveaway.
Javin’s eyes stopped as he studied one of the faces. The man was small-statured and thin and had turned his back slightly toward Javin. He could still see a part of the man’s profile. The nose and the jawline and the way the man was crouched ... It reminded him of Han. And the image of the hacker screaming for help. He was looking at Javin, begging for him to come and drag him away from the line of fire. What if I had gone to him? He would probably still be alive...
“Javin, what’s going on?”
“Eh, what?” He glanced at Claudia, startled by her words.
“You have this dark look on your face ... as if you’ve seen a ghost.” She placed a coffee cup in front of Javin and took her seat.
“Well, fairly close. Look at that man ... Oh, he just disappeared.”
“What man?”
“One of the passengers. He looked just like Han.”
“Oh, and you’re wondering what if you had helped him?”
Javin nodded.
“It’s survivor’s guilt, Javin. You know all about it.”
“I do, but it doesn’t make me feel any better, Claudia. This life, the things we do, it always seems to cause people to die around us.”
“Not always, Javin, and mostly it’s not our fault. In this case, Han used to work for MSS. Then he turned freelancer, working for some bad people. He had cast his lot in life before we even entered the picture.”
“Maybe that’s true, but we certainly didn’t help.”
“We were in the process of helping. Look, this happens, sometimes more often than we’d like it to. But we can’t go forward blaming ourselves. That’s a burden too heavy to carry...”
“Yes, I know that, Claudia. But sometimes it feels like we have such a short time to live, and we waste so much of it chasing ghosts all over the world. And for what?”
“So that our people can sleep in peace, knowing no one will blow them to pieces the next time they board a plane or go to the mall or a concert. That’s why, Javin.”
He nodded at Claudia. “So we eliminate a guy or two or ten. Then what? Others will take their place. If we don’t deal with the cause, we’re just going in circles.”
Claudia took a small sip. “Oh, still too hot. I don’t know about that, Javin. That’s politics, way out of my jurisdiction and beyond my pay grade...”
“I know ... It’s just ... Sometimes, I feel this is all so useless.”
“It’s not. This is worth our time and our lives. Look, you and I, we’re much better prepared to meet these terrorists, these thugs, whoever they are, and who are plotting to hurt our people. We can’t let them down or abandon them.”
“And no one is saying we’ll do that.” Javin reached for his coffee and smiled.
“I think I should probably go with you to Mongolia.”
Before Javin had a chance to shake his head, his phone rang. It was one of his burner phones, and he used this one only for communications with his boss. “Yes, sir,” Javin said. He listened for a long moment, then nodded and smiled at Claudia. “I understand. I’ll take utmost care. Yes, of course. She’s here. Right away.” He offered the phone to Claudia. “Bateaux wants to talk to you.”
Claudia frowned and gave Javin a sideways glance.
He said, “It’s all good.”
Claudia picked up the phone. “Yes, Mr. Bateaux. How are you?”
She listened and nodded, as Javin had done a few moments ago. Then she said, “Right, yes, but what if—” She shook her head as their boss interrupted her. “I ... I disagree, sir, I think it’s—” Another interruption, followed by her headshake. “Okay, of course, we’ll do as you say. Sure, sure. Here’s Javin again.” She pursed her lips and gave Javin back his phone.
He spoke to Bateaux for a few seconds, then hung up. When he looked at Claudia, she said, “Well, you can call Mila now and give her the bad news.”
“And you’ll keep an eye on Zhang and the Beijing op.”
“I have no other choice, do I?”
Javin shrugged. “I’ll update you every hour, okay?”
“Still not good enough. Not when someone sneaks up on you.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
Claudia gave Javin a small, tired smile. “I hope it goes like that, Javin. I truly do.”
They spent another fifteen minutes chatting about anything but the operation at hand and Javin’s imminent departure. Then they walked back to the Air China counter, where Javin canceled his flight to Munich and received a new boarding pass for the next flight to Ulaanbaatar. He tried hard, but could not shake the eerie feeling that this was the last time he was going to see Claudia. He kept the gloomy thought to himself, but gave her a tight hug when she left him at the security checkpoint. Javin gave her a final wave, then made his way through the line snaking through the area.
After a thorough pat-down, he collected his belongings, put on his shoes, and made his way to the gate. The waiting area was not too crowded, since there was over an hour until boarding time. He sat across from an Asian family: mom, dad, and a teenage girl. All three of them were fully immersed in their electronic devices, typing as fast as they could. Javin resisted the urge to do the same: check his phone or call Mila. I have to talk to her sooner or later. But I’d rather it be later.
