Interception, p.8
Interception, page 8
SPArrow paid the cabdriver in cash, then waited until he had disappeared in the stream of traffic. When he was certain the taxi was gone, SPArrow put up the hood of his gray jacket and put on his silver mirror aviator sunglasses. He buried his hands in his pockets and hurried toward the intersection up ahead, keeping his head low, never looking up or to the sides. The area was full of security cameras mounted on light posts or outside the shops lining both sides of the street. The ones looking for him would eventually find this footage and would suspect that the figure wandering the streets was, in fact, SPArrow. He had no intention of making their job any easier.
His mind ran through a few options, but none of them were appealing to him at the moment. The first and the most obvious one was to stay underground until the storm had passed. However, considering the serious allegations that he was implicated in the attempted breach of CIA servers in Singapore, he doubted this situation would improve in the short term. He shook his head. No, this will hang over my head for a while. But, how did I get drawn into this? He thought about his potential misstep. He had discussed the matter once or twice in hackers’ online hangouts, but it was only in the realm of hypotheses, where members discussed how difficult would it be to penetrate the new cybersecurity systems that the CIA was touting as “unbreakable.” SPArrow had been among the crowd that claimed nothing was impossible and that it was only a matter of days until someone had actually infiltrated the CIA servers. Then, three days later, the article had appeared, and SPArrow had anticipated the heat.
He thought about the second option: leaving the country. With his passports, and he had stashed about half a dozen in various drop boxes across the city, he could flee China for the barren lands of Mongolia, disappear in Thailand, or lie low in South Korea. But he always would be looking over his shoulder. He had enough money stowed away along with the passports, but the ones coming after him had more, much more.
He shrugged. He didn’t like the third option, but that was all that was left. He would have to face this situation head on. Go after the ones looking for me. Retreat for a while, then regroup. Seek allies, anyone who could help.
SPArrow nodded and reached for the Mongolian passport inside his small backpack. The document identified him as Ganbold Turbat. He grinned at himself. He spoke passable Mongolian and most Chinese wouldn’t be able to tell he was not a native born of Mongolia, as indicated by his passport. Yes, I’ll be Turbat for the next little while...
Chapter Thirteen
MSS Safehouse, Building No. 121
Beijing, China
Javin checked on Han and Benjamin’s progress, but there was nothing good. A lot of hopeful contacts and some unconfirmed rumors that SPArrow had left his apartment in a hurry and was not answering his phones or email accounts. But that was insufficient to come up with a plan of action.
Javin decided it was time to have the conversation with Han about the tense situation between him and Zhang. While Javin was familiar with Han’s troubled past with the MSS, there was still something Javin felt he had missed. At the warehouse, Zhang had confronted Han with an old MSS investigation report, which Han had dismissed without too much thought. Javin knew the hacker was right.
The report focused on Han’s alleged role in a botched MSS operation that had caused a lot of embarrassment to the government. The email accounts and the servers of two American officials had been hacked during their visits to Beijing and Shanghai. While Han was not directly working for the Chinese security agency at the time and was not personally involved in this operation, he was close to one of the agents tasked with the assignment. As much as the agency wanted to find a scapegoat for their own failings, they could not credibly pin this on Han.
However, the spat between the hacker and Zhang referred to something else. Javin remembered Han saying that he assumed Javin knew about it. When Claudia had brought the matter up with Zhang, he had simply denied it held any meaning beyond adding dramatic effect to the good cop, bad cop routine they were using to convince Han to work for them. Zhang had promised to provide some intelligence about it, and Claudia was also checking with a couple of assets, but there had been no new developments.
Javin took advantage of the opportunity afforded by Zhang’s absence in late afternoon. The MSS agent had excused himself after receiving a phone call, which he said was from Wu, Zhang’s direct supervisor. Javin hadn’t asked for specifics, knowing that he would get none.
The small apartment was too cramped for the sensitive conversation, so Javin took Han outside. The benches were full of mostly older men and women, and children were playing everywhere. Javin and Han walked toward Jinsong Road, and when they rounded the corner of the apartment building, Han asked, “Where are we going?”
“Meizhou Restaurant. It’s supper time.” Javin glanced at the cars parked along the road. He was not anticipating anyone waiting for them, but his training and the recent experience at the Grand Hyatt had taught him to expect the unexpected. “Plus, I want to talk to you about Zhang.”
“What about him?”
“The botched op for which he blames you. What was that?”
Han did not reply right away. He slowed his pace and gave Javin a cockeyed glance. “He hasn’t told you?”
“I want to hear what you have to say.”
“Does my version of facts really matter?”
“Maybe not to Zhang or the MSS, but it matters to me.”
Han sighed. “Zhang blames me for what went wrong in the Elemental op.”
Javin nodded. He was familiar with the story first reported on Bloomberg Businessweek, then confirmed by the CIS and other intelligence services around the world. Chinese subcontractors, allegedly following MSS orders, had inserted microchips on countless servers and motherboards, which were the clusters of chips and capacitors that served as the brain of a computer, data center, or network. The microchips, about the size of a grain of rice, allowed for a stealth backdoor to the data stored and transmitted through these compromised servers, some of which were used by the CIA. “What exactly was your role in that op?”
Han hesitated for a moment. “How much do you already know?”
“Enough.”
“I’m asking because most of this is classified. Zhang should not have—”
“How about we focus on you…”
Han shrugged. “Sure, well … I was blamed for being the source of how the first suspicions came to the surface. Well, not me, personally, but…” Han’s voice trailed off, and he paused for a moment.
Javin could tell the hacker was choosing his words very carefully, so he would not divulge more than what was necessary.
Han said, “One of the sources that went to the CIA, an engineer in one of the manufacturing plants, he was my contact. Along with my partner in the MSS, we turned him, convinced him to work for us and hide microchips in the servers’ design.”
“Who was that source?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Who was your partner?”
Han shook his head. “Can’t tell you that either.”
“So what else can you tell me?”
“That’s about it. Once the story broke, I was removed from the operation. The MSS began to suspect that somehow I hadn’t picked a good asset or had convinced him to work for the Americans.”
“What happened to the engineer?”
“He disappeared.”
“Do you know where?”
“What did I just say?”
“Clarify that. The MSS made him disappear or…”
Han looked deep into Javin’s eyes, then said. “I don’t know what happened to him.”
Javin grinned. The reply didn’t convince him, but the Canadian agent did not press the hacker any further. “All right, what happened to your partner?”
“He disappeared too, and, before you ask me to clarify, I don’t know what happened to him either.”
Han’s voice had turned sharp, but his body gestures had become more relaxed. He had stopped and was fully turned toward Javin and looking him in the eyes, with conviction. However, Javin couldn’t help but feel this entire episode had been rehearsed.
Javin nodded. “Were you thrown out of the MSS because of this failure?”
“No, but that was probably the beginning of the end…” Han heaved a deep sigh. “I knew it was a matter of time before I would be kicked out, or worse, branded a traitor. In the best-case scenario, my career was going to go nowhere.”
“So you got out?”
Javin knew some of the circumstances surrounding Han’s dismissal, but he wanted to hear the hacker’s side of the story, and what facts might have been left out of the official MSS report that Javin had received.
“Yes, well, not right away, but slowly I began to plan for my exit.”
“You found new clients while still working for the MSS?”
“That’s what they told you?”
Javin shook his head. “That’s what I’m asking you…”
Han resumed walking. “I’m not going to answer that, but I can tell you that I did nothing wrong while I worked for the agency.”
“So why is Zhang so fighting mad at you?”
Han shrugged, but did not look at Javin. “You’ll have to ask him.”
Javin nodded. He glanced around again as they neared the intersection. The Meizhou Restaurant was now to their right, about thirty yards away, and an intersection was up ahead. He looked in that direction. A dark blue sedan and a van sped through the intersection, running the red light. The two vehicles were so close to one another, there was barely a car length in between. Nothing strange about that, considering all the bad driving Javin had witnessed so far in Beijing. But he found it strange that the sedan slowed down and pulled closer to the sidewalk, about twenty yards away from them.
His hand went to the pistol in his shoulder holster. He cocked the Sig Sauer and held his hand there. He did not want to brandish the weapon and terrify the people on the sidewalk, especially two women pushing strollers not far away from Javin.
It was a mistake he would come to regret.
The sedan’s back door burst open. A masked gunman stepped outside and turned his rifle toward Han and Javin.
“Down, down.” Javin pushed Han as the volley of bullets started.
The agent was not quick enough.
One of the bullets cut through Han’s chest. Another struck him in the side, before he had dropped onto the sidewalk. Other bullets hit around them as Javin rolled on the sidewalk, trying to hide behind the nearest bench by a couple of trees.
All the passers-by scampered in panic.
Javin pulled out his weapon and fired at the sedan, striking the gunman in his left leg. Javin’s other bullets shattered the windows.
The gunman limped back into the sedan, and someone pulled him inside.
Javin glanced at Han. He was lying on his back, still in the open, and was not moving. Han turned his head slightly and opened his mouth. He seemed to be saying something to Javin, but he could not make out the words. The commotion drowned them out. But Javin knew the man desperately needed help.
He started to crawl toward Han, but the van’s door was being pushed open.
Javin knew what was coming, so he aimed his pistol in that direction.
As soon as the first gunman appeared, Javin planted two bullets in the gunman’s chest, and he fell backwards inside the van.
Both vehicles began to zip fast through the street.
Javin fired again. His bullets shattered the van’s headlights, then pierced the side.
The drivers picked up speed.
He squeezed off round after round until the slide racked back and the pistol was empty.
Before he could reload, the van slid around the nearest corner and disappeared from sight.
Javin glanced at Han, who had not moved since he was struck down.
Javin slowly climbed to his feet and looked around, in case there were other shooters lying in wait. That strategy was employed sometimes, and a second wave of attack could cause even more damage than the first.
Nothing happened for a few moments, but for the shouts and cries of the passers-by. A few were glancing at their bruised arms and legs, and a couple of women were lying on the grass further to Javin’s left.
He dashed over to Han, but the hacker was beyond help. Even if he had survived the first bullet, the second one had left behind a large wound. Javin shook his head and closed Han’s lifeless eyes and his mouth. He sighed and cursed under his breath. Who did this? And did they come for me or for Han?
He shook his head and ran toward the women. He could do nothing for the hacker, but perhaps he could help them.
Chapter Fourteen
Four Blocks Away from the MSS Safehouse, Building No. 121
Beijing, China
A stray bullet had struck the first woman in the lower part of her abdomen, but she was going to survive. At least, Javin hoped she would. He tore off his shirt and used it to slow the blood flow from her wound. The second woman had been hit in her leg, and he was not sure if she would lose the limb. The wound looked quite bad, because when the femoral artery, the main supply to the entire leg, was severed, as Javin knew was the case here, the blood loss was huge, and the risk to the leg was great.
Thankfully, someone must have called the police, as sharp sirens began to fill the air. The first ambulance flew through the intersection and screeched to a halt next to Han’s lifeless body. Javin stood up to allow room for two paramedics who bolted toward the women.
He looked around and wondered who was behind the mayhem. Did they come for me again? I thought I had a ceasefire with Yael… Or was this a second, redundancy team? Intelligence agencies often operated by dispatching a second team, which was on location and ready for action, especially if the first team failed in its efforts or it needed backup. Sawyer could have sent another team… Or were they trying to kill Han?
The latest thought filled his mind, and a frown stretched across his face. If they came for Han, they know about the safehouse… Even worse, they know our exact moves… But how?
He cursed under his breath. Or should I say who?
He thought about Zhang, and how the MSS agent had been absent both times their supposedly safe locations had been targeted. The first time it was Yael, and she had placed Javin in her crosshairs. But the second time … He shook his head. No, this was no coincidence. After what Han had told Javin about the microchip operation and how the MSS had treated him, it made sense to conclude the MSS wanted to eliminate Han. Perhaps they thought he might give us intel about the Elemental op, or other classified operations in which he was involved while working for the Chinese security agency.
His mind went again to Zhang, but the Canadian agent could not point his finger at Zhang on a hunch, or even a series of coincidences. It did not matter that Javin had high confidence in his conclusions. That would not convince anyone at the MSS. It wouldn’t convince me either. I need something more. But what?
He thought about it as he glanced at Han. The paramedics had confirmed Javin’s conclusion and had draped a blue tarp over his body. Javin nodded to himself slowly as a new thought zipped across his mind. If I set a trap, Zhang might fall into it. Yes, this might work.
A couple of police sedans had parked next to the ambulance, and officers had begun to cordon off the area. Javin called Claudia and informed her of what had taken place. Then he went to meet the officers. They would have a lot of questions, and he’d rather get this over and done with, so that he could return to the safehouse.
It took about an hour, but the matter was all cleared up. Zhang and Claudia had arrived at the scene and had helped speed up Javin’s interrogation. When the officers were finished, Javin and Zhang walked toward Zhang’s black BMW. Claudia was already in the SUV.
Javin waited for Zhang to start the conversation, and when he didn’t, Javin said, “How are we going to handle this?”
“We? We’re not doing anything. This is a police matter.”
“But Han was working with us—”
“That doesn’t change anything. We’ve already given that information to the police.”
“Shouldn’t the agency deal with this, considering—”
Zhang stopped and turned toward Javin. “Listen, this isn’t Canada. This is how we do things here. Han’s dead. We’ll let the police deal with that. We have other, better things to do.”
Javin shrugged and started to walk. “Well, now that Han’s gone, how are we going to continue?”
Zhang smiled. “We had a breakthrough, but it got lost in the melee, and I didn’t tell you. The vehicle that Han and Benjamin identified as potentially belonging to SPArrow … We got a hit on that.”
“Whose is it?”
“A known SPArrow associate. I already have dispatched a team to nab him.”
Javin stifled a frown. He would have wanted to be a part of that operation, to ensure the associate was captured alive. He nodded and said, “And?”
“They’re not yet in position. The associate is in Tianjin, that’s about seventy miles southeast. So, it’s going to take some time.”
“That’s enough time for us to—”
“No, we’ll go back to the safehouse. The team can take care of this small task.”
Javin didn’t like Zhang’s tone, or the fact that he had already made the decision without consulting with Javin. But at this time, he wanted to keep the team together. Now that Han was gone, Javin and Claudia would have to rely on Zhang for access to the MSS. No point in antagonizing him any more than need be. So Javin said, “All right,” and slipped into the backseat.
At the apartment, the team went over the latest intelligence gathered by Han and Benjamin. There wasn’t much that Javin could do until they heard from the two-man team Zhang had sent to pick up SPArrow’s associate. So he skimmed the reports, then sent a text message to Benjamin and Claudia, sharing his suspicions about Zhang and warning them to keep all updates from the Chinese operative. Next, Javin moved to preparing for his trip to Spain. The only available flight left in less than four hours, and he had promised Mila he was going to make it.
