I winced. I didn’t realize it would be so obvious. Now, even if I denied it, he’d know he could use her as leverage to get me to talk. If he threatened her, I’d have to improvise in a hurry. I told stories for a living, but coming up with convincing insight to explain so many strange and seemingly disconnected UFO puzzle pieces, while someone threatened to maim the woman I loved, seemed an impossible task.
Still, perhaps I could at least get him to underestimate her skills. “Yeah, you got me,” I said. “I am in love with her. Happy? But here’s the thing, she’s a signals intelligence expert. She’s never been in the field before. The PMC I got her from said she was unqualified to even be a member of this team, let alone lead it. But I insisted, because of my feelings for her, and I paid big money. The bottom line is that she isn’t armed and poses no threat to you. So let her keep her hands free.”
Chen considered for several long seconds, his arm still around my neck. He nodded at Tessa. “Okay,” he said. “You win. Cuff your men. You can stay unrestrained.”
Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she said, and then bent to the task of binding the captain and lieutenant as she’d been instructed.
“Since your hands are free, Major,” said Chen when she had finished, “make yourself useful. Remove the comms from your colleagues’ ears, along with yours and Jason’s, and destroy them. Cell phones too. Same goes for Ming and his team. I won’t take my eyes off of you, so don’t think you can pull a surprise move.”
Chen punctuated his order by pumping several rounds into our computers and monitors, ensuring that when Tessa destroyed the phones and comms we’d be blind and mute in every way.
This guy was as careful as they came. He had a human shield protecting him and could blow us all up with a thought, but he was still taking care to ensure that he was the only one who could communicate with the outside world.
“What’s this all about, Chen?” asked Tessa when she had finished destroying the phones and comms. “Are you a traitor to Taiwan? Or are you a Chinese special forces operative?”
“A Chinese operative,” he replied proudly. “I infiltrated Taiwan’s military six years ago. I proved my worth until they trusted me enough to add me to their UFO task force earlier this year.”
Tessa nodded. “And your bosses in China were only too happy to let them continue their investigations unmolested.”
“Exactly. Once I was on the inside, the task force was like an addition to China’s own efforts. If Taiwan stumbled upon any answers, we’d learn them too.”
I was intrigued, despite myself. And focusing on Chen’s motivation was better than reflecting on my remote chances of survival.
“Then why blow your cover now?” I asked the man with a gun in my back.
“Why do you think?” said Chen in contempt. “Because of you, of course. Your podcast appearance has gone viral around the world. Chinese intelligence got wind of it right away, and mounted an op to get to you. They had a team in San Diego ready to breach—before Taiwan did. But when I told Beijing of Taiwan’s plans, my superiors thought it wise to let them go first. With me as an inside man.”
“Right,” said Tessa, nodding her head in disgust. “They were only too happy to let Taiwan’s team trigger any hidden landmines.”
“Exactly. And we also thought Ming might have more success in getting the truth out of Jason than we would. Ming is quite smart, and can be very sincere.”
“But he was in communication with Taiwan,” said Tessa. “If Jason talked, they’d get the answers also. Is that why you decided to take over, after all?”
“No. My comrades were prepared to block Taiwanese comm signals if Jason began sharing what he knows. I took over because Ming was taking too long. I needed to give myself a cushion before his reinforcements were scheduled to arrive.”
Tessa gestured toward Ming and his fallen comrades. “How did you knock them unconscious?”
“Didn’t you just accuse me of killing them? Of betraying and killing my team, as you put it?”
“I did. A mistake. The way they were slumped, I didn’t immediately notice their shallow breathing. So how did you do it?”
Wow. I still hadn’t noticed their shallow breathing. Good thing one of us was on the ball.
“Chinese military scientists studied the Taiwanese neural implants,” said Chen, “and found a way to control them. A way to use them against their owners. The downside of having electronics in your brain—they can be hacked. Using political prisoners as guinea pigs, our scientists found a way to make the implants emit a signal that causes immediate loss of consciousness.”
“They must have been very proud,” I said in disgust.
The Chinese commando ignored me. “Which reminds me,” he said. Without another word, he pulled his automatic weapon from my back and pumped three quick shots into the heads of three unconscious Taiwanese commandos, only leaving Ming alive.
I nearly jumped out of my skin as my ears were assaulted by the ferocious blasts from the gun just behind me. As blood blossomed from the gaping holes in the victims’ heads, my knees weakened and I dropped to the floor, horrified. I was dizzy, but too numb to even feel nauseated.
Chen yanked me back to my feet while I tried to process the atrocity he had just committed. He had executed three helpless men without a second thought, only sparing Ming for further interrogation, since Ming’s rank would give China the best intel on the inner workings of the task force.
Tessa’s eyes burned like twin lasers. “You shouldn’t have done that!” she said between clenched teeth, unable to hide her rage.
“It was necessary,” he replied simply. “We have to leave soon. And they’re loose ends who would hold us back.”
Tessa glared at him in revulsion. “Do you think my PMC colleagues and Ming’s reinforcements will let you just waltz out of here? I have human spotters and drones watching this warehouse. Ming has a drone doing the same. Leave here and a veritable army will follow.”