“This is America, not China. We’re not known for our long attention span. We don’t like journeys of a thousand steps. More like ten.”
“Things will change soon.”
“How soon?”
“Friday at the latest.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Trust me,” said Magnus Lee. “I’ve heard that something dramatic is going to happen.”
43
Magnus Lee called his plan Troy.
First because like the Trojan horse of legend, it required gaining the enemy’s trust to enter a fortified inner sanctum. And second because of the modern meaning attached to the term, a Trojan horse being a piece of corrupted software, or malware, inserted into a foreign or enemy operating system with the goal of taking control of it or exploiting it for one’s own purpose.
Unlike Odysseus, however, Lee did not have to build a giant wooden horse or construct any other elaborate ruse. All that he needed to mount his deception could be found within the walls of the China Investment Corporation.
Troy was CIC’s evil twin.
CIC was public. Troy was private.
CIC invested in minority stakes. Troy, through its surrogates, insisted on majority stakes.
CIC did not influence management. Troy wanted complete control.
The two shared one characteristic. They invested across a broad spectrum of industries: energy, consumer products, finance, airlines, automobiles, and, of course, technology.
“The time is upon us.”
Magnus Lee looked at each of the five men seated with him at the round table. There was a general from the army and an admiral. Two more came from the highest rank of his country’s intelligence apparatus. They were party members all. Lee would not forget them when he joined the Standing Committee. But even these four with their rank and power were not enough for Lee to have embarked upon such a risk-fraught plan. And so there was a fifth man. The man who had given him his blessing all those years ago. The premier.
“And so, gentlemen,” said Lee, “we must decide.”
For a moment no one spoke. The men stared back. He sensed their eagerness, their ambition, as well as their trepidation.
“How can we go forward after what happened in Washington?” asked the general.
“How can we not?” countered Lee. “Have we come this far only to stop at the first headwind?”
“Once we have executed our plan, there will be nothing they can do,” added the admiral, who had always been the most belligerent among them.
“It is surprising that they do not already know,” said the man from domestic intelligence.
“Not so,” said Lee. “It is often the objects that are closest to you which are the most difficult to see.”
“Astor, Hughes, and Gelman may be dead, but that leaves the person or organization who alerted them,” said the general. “Palantir.”
“I am working on that as we speak,” said Lee. “He cannot hide forever. If he had any real power, he would have gone to the president himself. Whoever he is, he is not to be trusted. His actions say as much.”
“Do we know if Edward Astor alerted anyone else?”
“For the moment, no,” lied Magnus Lee. He did not want the others to know about the final text sent to Robert Astor. He was more than capable of resolving the matter himself. “All is going according to plan.”
“Everyone is in place?”
Lee nodded. “They are crossing the border even now.”
“So many men. I am worried.”
“Do not be,” said Lee. “The borders are poorly guarded. Entry was my first concern those many years ago. Through our hard work, we have seen to it that the crossing will be as risk-free as possible.”
“The timetable remains the same?” asked the premier.
“As ever,” said Lee. “I see no reason to alter it.”
“Very good,” said the premier. “We have waited in the shadows long enough.”
Magnus Lee stood. “All in favor?”
44
“Jan, it’s Alex.”
“You’ve been gone twelve hours. What is it?”
“The French ID’d him. His name is Luc Lambert. We were right about the tat. He served in the French Foreign Legion for nine years, then worked as a mercenary afterward.”
“Great news. Pass it on to Bill Barnes.”
“I already e-mailed him the particulars. But listen, Jan, there’s more.” Alex explained about Lambert’s participation in the failed Comoros coup and his ties to Executive Outcomes, the private military company that had acted as a recruiter for the effort. “The way I see it, the same group may know why Lambert was in the States.”