Death Minus Zero Read online

  “Nor very tolerant, if he suspects things are not going his way. But he has his orders from Beijing—to get results. I have impressed on him that there are no shortcuts here, that forcing the treatment could give us negative results. If Chan wants a success story, I am afraid our esteemed leader is going to have to keep a tight rein on his impulsive nature.”

  “Despite his rallying speech at the meeting that you are to be given unlimited freedom when working, I can imagine him reversing his promise if time becomes an issue.”

  “I can believe that, Cheng. But if he does renege and tries to accelerate matters, it will not turn out well.”

  “Not for any of us,” Cheng said.

  “If we fail, it will be bad for us all. Chan included. No doubt he will be recalling the previous attempt to take control of Zero and what happened to General Tung.”

  * * *

  XIA CHAN WAS seated in the main room, his gaze fixed on the scene beyond the panoramic window. The view was of the house’s generous garden and the rising slopes at the foot of the peaks. It was a tranquil scene, now made even more pleasant by the fall of snow that had started a little while ago. This close to the mountains, snowfall could be heavy, often cutting off isolated residences. Chan thought that might be helpful. If they were snowed in, it would reduce the possibility of anyone coming to bother them. He considered the matter and decided to make certain they were well provisioned in the event of a blockade. He crossed to the door and gestured to one of the security men in the corridor.

  “Go find Nan Cheng. I need to speak with him.”

  The man nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said and went to look for Cheng.

  Chan returned to his comfortable lounger where he could stare out the window.

  Nan Cheng appeared after a few minutes. “You wished to see me?”

  Chan indicated the falling snow. “I understand snowfall here can be extreme.”

  “Sometimes, yes. This time of year especially.”

  “What provision is there if we become snowed in?”

  “There is food and water for at least four days. The fuel tanks for the power generators were filled two days ago, so at normal usage we would be able to survive for at least two months. The fuel reservoir is extremely large.”

  Chan considered the information. “Staple food and bottled water stocks should be increased,” he said. “Send a team to go to the town as soon as possible and pick up extra supplies. I would not be happy if we began to run out of food.”

  Cheng said, “Whatever you wish, sir.”

  “Simply looking ahead, Cheng.” He smiled. “The military mind. Always considering the options. Maintain supplies. Better to have a little too much than not enough.” As Cheng turned to go, Chan said, “So, Cheng, how is our guest?”

  “Actually awake. Quite rational.”

  “Ready for visitors?”

  “It would do no harm, sir. Dr. Melier will have no objections at this stage.”

  “Then it is perhaps time to introduce myself.”

  Chan followed Nan Cheng to the room where Saul Kaplan was housed. An armed man stood outside the door. The guard moved aside when Chan approached the door and Nan Cheng left, leaving the colonel alone with Kaplan.

  “My name is Chan. I am honored to have you here as my guest.”

  Kaplan, resting on the lounger, glanced at his visitor.

  “So this is all down to you?”

  Chan nodded.

  “I honestly can’t say I am pleased to be here,” Kaplan said.

  “I understand,” Chan said. “However, there is no reason we should not be adult about the situation.”

  Kaplan managed a weary smile. “Is this where you play the good guy and shortly one of your people will come in and be nasty to me?”

  “I am not sure I am familiar with such matters.”

  “When a suspect is being interrogated in an American movie, the police play a game with him. One police officer is nice to him. Sympathetic. Friendly. The policeman’s partner comes in and he’s not friendly. Threatens the suspect. It’s all in order to get the man to confess. It’s called ‘good cop, bad cop.’”

  Chan was curious until he realized what Kaplan was describing.

  “Now I understand. But to put your mind at rest, there is no other person. Just me, and I have no reason to play this ‘good cop, bad cop’ game, Kaplan. We are going to spend time here and you are going to tell us what we need to know. Dr. Melier, who you will deal with later, will be working with you. His specialty is extracting information from people. He is extremely skilled at this. Believe me, Kaplan, it will not be a pleasant period of your life if you attempt to fight him. It will be in your best interests to give him what he wants quickly. It will reduce your suffering. Melier does not rely on violence. He uses drugs, many of which he has created himself. They are very persuasive, but unfortunately they can sometimes have unpleasant side effects. In the end, it is up to you. I suggest you think about that. Very seriously.”

  “I will.”

  Chan reached down and picked up the briefcase he had brought into the room with him.

  “I am sure you will recognize this,” he said.

  “It’s mine. You telling me you brought it all the way from the US?”

  “My people have inspected the contents.”

  This time Kaplan’s smile was genuine. “They find anything interesting?”

  Chan opened it, took out a thick legal pad and showed it to Kaplan.

  “Only this. And writing instruments. They have read your notes but can find nothing of value.”

  “If they were looking for the secrets of Zero, I can assure you they will have been disappointed.”

  “So they have told me.”

  “If you’ve learned anything about me, you will know that I do not record technical details in any form. Handwritten notes or digital. I keep my knowledge inside my head. I’m lucky to have the kind of brain that retains everything I create like a...an internal memory disk. It’s why Zero was created the way it was. From inside my head. All you’ll find on that pad are random jottings on my early thoughts for some improvements to Zero’s functions. No magic formulas. No diagnostic processes. You can have your people study those notes as long as they want. They’ll get nothing, because right now they don’t mean a thing. They’re simply handwritten muses. The drawings are nothing but doodles. Done for my own amusement as I worked. When I finally decide what I want, I store the information in here along with everything else.” Kaplan tapped the side of his skull. “In here, Chan. That’s where the real stuff is.”

  Chan sat back, his face expressionless as he studied Kaplan.

  “I am trying to work out if you are serious or simply trying to antagonize me. I suggest you do not make me angry. Ask any of my people and they will tell you I can be extremely unpleasant if I feel I am being made a fool of.”

  “You want truth? Then I will give you truth. Your Dr. Melier is going to have to pump me full of his magic potions if you expect me to give up Zero. I will resist him every step of the way. To be truthful, Chan, I am not a courageous man. The thought of what you threaten terrifies me. But I promise I will fight Melier and his mumbo-jumbo potions. If it takes my life, then so be it. That presents you with a problem, though, doesn’t it?

  “If you push me too far and I die, then all your scheming will have been for nothing. This elaborate plan to kidnap me and bring me all the way here to Switzerland will be wasted if you simply end up with a corpse on your hands.” Kaplan studied Chan’s face. Saw the muscles twitch in his cheeks as he fought back the anger growing in him. “If I end up dead, Chan, your masters in Beijing are not going to be very happy. This is your big opportunity, I’m guessing. Your people screwed up once before. If you don’t go home with the big prize I’m sure they are not going to cut
you any slack...”

  Chan rose from his chair, barely able to contain his rage. Kaplan’s defiance and his cutting words had threatened to override his control. The urge to strike out at the American took Chan close to the edge. His hands were ready to curl into fists, and he was struggling to hold back his anger. He caught the sparkle in Kaplan’s eyes and realized the man was deliberately goading him. Kaplan wanted Chan to hit him. To beat him into submission. Maybe even... Chan stepped back as the thought came to him. Kaplan would have sacrificed himself to protect his secrets.

  No, Chan thought, do not rise to his taunts.

  “Very clever, Kaplan. You have almost succeeded in making me angry enough to use violence.” Chan clasped his hands together. “I congratulate you. Had you taunted me too much, I may have injured you. Perhaps that is what you wanted. But it will not happen. I understand your tactic now.”

  Kaplan was seeking a way out. He was prepared to die rather than give up his knowledge. In that case Chan had to make sure it could not happen.

  He crossed to the door and spoke to the armed man in the corridor.

  “This man must be under twenty-four-hour watch,” he said. “Someone with him at all times. All times. Understood? He must not be left on his own for any reason. No excuses. Do not allow him to persuade you otherwise. I want you inside that room right now. Be with him. I will speak to Captain Ling and he will make sure there are regular guards. If Kaplan tries anything he must be restrained. Keep me informed.”

  * * *

  CHAN MADE HIS way through the house and located Dr. Melier. He spoke to the man, informing him what had happened and impressing upon him the need to have Kaplan watched over all the time.

  “I mentioned he was a clever man,” Melier said. “Goading us so we retaliate is a smart move. Let this be a lesson for us both. We must treat him carefully and not allow him to distract us.”

  “Then the sooner you commence your treatment the better, Doctor. You must make sure he is sedated and unable to do anything, to harm himself.”

  “I will see to it at once,” Melier said.

  “Make sure you do.”

  Chan went into the main lounge area. A log fire burned in the stone fireplace. Chan picked out a deep leather armchair and slumped down. His anger was slowly subsiding as he stared into the flames.

  Damn the man. Kaplan was proving to be smarter than Chan had given him credit for. What was that American saying? Yes—Kaplan had certainly pushed Chan’s buttons. And it had almost worked. Chan got to his feet and crossed the room to the wet bar. He found a bottle of expensive whiskey and poured himself a tumbler full, taking it back to his chair, where he sat and slowly sipped the drink.

  Time to let Melier get to work. The sooner he had Kaplan in his hands, so to speak, the better.

  He was only half through his drink when a familiar voice broke into his thoughts.

  “I hope I am not disturbing you.”

  Chan sat upright, turning to see Jui Kai crossing the room. Chan had not realized she had arrived. With everything going on around him, he had forgotten he had sent his driver for her. He kept that to himself, not wanting to admit he had allowed her to slip his mind. But then, he thought, I do have a great deal to concern myself with.

  She had changed from her flight uniform into slim-fitting black pants and a honey-colored clingy sweater, revealed as she slipped off the dark coat she was wearing.

  She looked impossibly beautiful to Chan. The pale color in her cheeks was highlighted by the gleam of the flames in the hearth. It shimmered against the jet-black of her glossy hair.

  “Disturbing me? No, Jui Kai, you are exactly what I need right now. And I think you look wonderful, my dear,” Chan said. He indicated the falling snow outside the windows. “By the look of the weather, you have arrived just in time.”

  Jui Kai laughed gently. “Why, Colonel Chan, do you think we might be stranded here?”

  “It might happen,” he said. “And while we are here there are no military titles. Only names. It is simply a precaution so no one might let slip we are more than just visitors to this country.”

  “I can think of no better place to be if we become snowed in.”

  “I have you in my control, then, Jui Kai.”

  “At least the plane won’t be leaving without me.”

  “Of course not. How would it function without you on board?”

  Kai held her hands out toward the fire. Chan moved to her side, placing his hands on her shoulders. He leaned close to breathe in her perfume, gently stroking his lips across the skin of her neck.

  “I am forgetting my manners,” Chan said. “Would you like a drink?”

  “I shouldn’t while I am on duty.”

  “That’s no problem. As of now, all flights are canceled. Therefore, you are no longer on duty.”

  “Then I would enjoy a drink with you, Mr. Chan.”

  Chan poured her a whiskey and handed it to her. Her slim fingers brushed his as she took the tumbler.

  “As you are now off duty and my guest, you must call me Xia. Please. Not Chan. It sounds so formal.”

  * * *

  JUI KAI STOOD with her back to the log fire, the tumbler of whiskey in her hand, and watched as Xia Chan crossed the room to speak with the man called Yang Zhou. He had appeared in the doorway and his hard glare showed he was not happy to see her.

  She was wary of Zhou. Every time he glanced her way, she could sense his mistrust in her. As Chan’s assigned bodyguard, it was his duty to view everyone with a cautious eye. She understood that, but even so there was something about Zhou she did not trust. The man was a throwback to earlier times, when allegiance to the Party was expected without question and everyone came under suspicion. Zhou was one of those who maintained that attitude and he made no attempt to conceal it. Given the opportunity, he would have taken her apart limb by limb. He was aware of her animosity. For her own part, Kai’s defiant spirit refused to allow her to bow to his feelings.

  He would need to be watched, she realized. If he thought for one moment that she was not who she claimed to be, he would pounce. Kai was aware of the difficulty of her position. One wrong step and she would be in big trouble, the kind that could see her arrested—or summarily executed as an enemy of the PRC. Neither prospect gave Jui Kai much in the way of comfort.

  She had accepted the possibilities that came with her position. It had not stopped her from taking on her undercover role. One that she had played for the past three years, working her way through various elements of Chinese society. Role-playing had always been something Kai excelled in. She had used her skills to move from job to job, her eye always on the ball. While she passed data on to her agency in Washington she had stepped up the ladder, aiming for the prime role she was hoping to take on. Almost a year ago she had found herself in the position her game plan had been devised for, and she took her current position with the flight division that served the operations allied to the Chinese government’s Special Projects Division very seriously.

  By this time Kai was sending regular reports back to the US, alerting them to movements of the SPD. As the database grew, identifying members of Chinese intelligence and operations, Kai was asked for reports on a regular basis on one individual her agency was more than simply interested in.

  Colonel Xia Chan.

  It had taken time and patience, Kai using her skill and ability to manipulate the move closer to Chan. From the first time she had been assigned as attendant on a flight the colonel was taking, Kai had made herself known to the man. During early briefings she had taken note that Chan was a known womanizer and favored young, attractive women. Kai was both, and she was smart enough to play on his desires. She took care to make herself available during the flights, forward, without being overtly so. Her attitude appealed to Chan’s vanity and over the next few month
s Kai found herself being assigned to his flights on a regular basis. And then as a permanent attendant, who saw to his every need, both materially and personally. It did not take long before Chan became entranced by the beautiful young woman who looked after him so well during the tedium of long flights around the country and sometimes beyond China’s borders.

  During her initial briefings she had learned everything there was to know about Xia Chan: his background, his entry into the military and his rise through the ranks due to his diligence and ability to seize any and every opportunity. He commanded his people with authority and never gave in when it came to completing an assignment. It was known he had personally executed two men who had defied him and protested his actions. Chan was known to the ruling body in Beijing. They had been watching him for some time, aware of his military record and rise through the ranks. They viewed his successes as exemplary and when the time came he was offered the post of heading the Zero Project. Chan had accepted with a show of humility, not revealing how he had been relishing the opportunity from the moment he had heard about it.

  He was given a command, his own department within the military and the offices that went with such a promotion. Chan was allowed to choose staff from his own people and surrounded himself with intelligent and eager officers.

  It was the job of a lifetime, one that placed him in the spotlight. Chan was astute enough to understand the responsibility placed upon him—and the penalty that would come if he failed. He took that as part of the price, and told himself he would not fail. The first few months of his new command were taken up by organizing his team, making contact with everyone he would need.

  Chan was given carte blanche for anything he required, including foreign mercenaries in America who would carry out the actual kidnapping of Kaplan and hand him over to Chinese members of the organization. Those same Americans would be paid to carry out diversionary hits against Zero Command to—hopefully—put it out of action, even if for only a short time while Chan and his group, assisted by the recruited Dr. Melier, would work on Kaplan. Melier had already been working for Chan, finalizing his mind drugs for the time he would use them on the captured American. In seclusion the doctor had perfected his drugs and when word came that Kaplan was to be apprehended Melier was more than ready to make the trip from Paris to Switzerland.