mostly. The walls were bare of any decoration, as if the design of the house was art enough. Yu sank into a separate chair while the two Panamanians took their places on a sofa facing the cocktails. Although they were the most powerful men in the nation, even they were subdued by Yu’s menacing aura. They waited for the general to start the conversation.
Liu desperately wanted something to settle his roiling stomach, and every second the silence dragged on made it worse. His abdomen made an audible twist. The autonomy he’d enjoyed since first coming to Panama was at an end. That much was clear. What he didn’t know was what controls Yu was about to place over him and what that meant for his career once Operation Red Island was complete. He felt his place within COSTIND suddenly slipping.
Felix Silvera-Arias finished off his drink in a nervous gulp while President Quintero, elegant in a tailored suit despite what must have been an urgent summons to this meeting, wiped his glasses on a scrap of silk he then returned to his breast pocket. Like Liu, the canal director wore casual slacks and a loose shirt. Both Panamanians possessed the studied polish of longtime politicians. They even resembled each other slightly-they were cousins. Felix owed his new job to the president and Quintero owed his presidency to the backroom machinations orchestrated by Silvera-Arias-and Liu.
Yu, squat and pugnacious in a suit he made look as regimented as a uniform, had neither an insider’s elan nor a politician’s charm. His rank was the result of years of unwavering discipline and success. And in a culture that revered age, Yu was just sixty-four years old. He had a great deal further to go within the Beijing power structure.
“Mr. President, Mr. Director,” Yu started formally. “If you could excuse Yousheng and I for a moment, we need to speak in private.”
There was a second-long pause when the leader of Panama thought he was expected to leave the room. Instead, Yu stood and beckoned his protege to follow. They took up seats on the far side of the room, where even if the two Panamanians could understand the language, they couldn’t overhear.
“When I am finished,” Yu spoke softly in Chinese, “translate what you feel necessary to keep those two satisfied. There is a new resistance developing within the portion of the People’s Congress who know about what you are attempting here. They feel that your plan will antagonize the Americans rather than deter them.
“Our president has been informed about this and is beginning to rethink our position in Panama. I believe he’s going to order COSTIND to pull out of Operation Red Island.”
The news was devastating, but Liu knew better than to interrupt.
“I understand nearly everything is in place to execute the plan with the exception of finding the buried treasure. Is that true?”
“Yes, General.” Liu spoke formally, hoping there was still a chance to salvage Red Island. “Gemini has been in the Bay of Panama awaiting transit for a couple of days. Our submersible is ready to deflect the ship preceding Gemini through the locks. Everything at the mine is as it should be, and the government here has already accepted the first shipment of bullion from home as down payment for what we will recover near the River of Ruin.”
“But no gold has been found at the volcanic lake?”
“That is correct, sir,” Liu answered at once.
“Why?”
“I overestimated the abilities of local troops to act as guards and have needed to use more of our own soldiers. I’ve spread them too thin, sir. I’ve lost efficiency in all aspects of the operation because of this.”
“And you’ve needed extra guards?”
Liu gave the other two men a significant look. “This is a lawless country, sir. Thieves have attempted to infiltrate our container port and the Twenty Devils Mine.”
Yu seemed convinced by the ready answers. They agreed with his own sense of what he’d seen of Panama since his arrival just a few hours earlier. “Very well.” The general went silent for a moment. “I need an honest assessment, Yousheng.” His use of Liu’s first name was meant to impart trust. If anything it made the Hatcherly executive even more suspicious. “How far can we safely push up the timetable without jeopardizing the mission? Don’t give me an answer you think I want. I want the truth.”
Liu wasn’t fooled into believing there was a truthful answer to that question. The general was looking to execute Red Island before China’s president canceled it, but wanted to leave a scapegoat, someone to blame, if it didn’t go well. By answering, Liu was being maneuvered into that sacrificial role. If he delayed implementation too long and Red Island was canceled, his future in COSTIND was over. He’d be lucky to get a job as a dock worker. On the other hand, if he pushed it too close and it failed, Yu would have him killed long before he returned home.
His career, his very life, was coming down to this moment. “I can implement the plan in three days,” he said, shaving five days from the original timetable.
“Can it be done the day after tomorrow?” The general’s eyes bored into his. His meaning was clear. Red Island
“Yes,” Liu said, then qualified his answer. “But only if the DF-31 missiles are here. We can smuggle the warheads later, they are smaller, but those rockets need to be in Panama before the canal is closed. Afterward there will be too much scrutiny to offload them.”
Yu glanced at the compliant president and canal director. “You think they will pursue a vigorous investigation?”
“Not them, but even if the Americans are denied the right to place troops here, they will send in covert teams of investigators. Hatcherly’s warehouses will be watched closely. It’s too much of a risk to unload the missiles after such a team arrives. The Americans shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“That’s why you didn’t want the warheads brought in until after the canal was closed?”
“Yes, sir.” Liu was heartened to see that Yu understood the subtleties of the operation. “It’s likely that the United States will send a group from NEST, that’s their Nuclear Emergency Search Team. Even under the best shielding, a nuclear warhead may be detected by their sophisticated equipment. I’ve heard they can identify trace radiation from medical X-ray machines that haven’t been used for years.”
Yu grunted.
Liu continued. “If the rockets were here, we could proceed with the rest of the operation and then bring in the warheads after a few weeks. But I believe the DF-31s are still in China, yes?”
Liu saw immediately that he’d been outmaneuvered. Yu gave no outward sign, but he could feel it. The missiles were already in Panamanian waters, or would be by the next day.
The general didn’t need to state the obvious. “You have an enclosed dry dock at the Hatcherly facility that you plan to use for their unloading?”
Liu swallowed. The operation was going ahead a full week before his schedule and he couldn’t stop it. His only choice now was to put his full efforts into seeing it through. “Yes, General. There’s a ship in it now, ostensibly for a refit, but it’s a COSTIND vessel we’ve been keeping there as cover.”
“Have it moved out,” Yu ordered through the cloud of a freshly lit cigarette, his dark eyes squinting. “The vessel carrying the missiles, a refrigerator ship named
“And the warheads?”
“Are still in China. As you suggest, we’ll ship them in a few weeks.”
“Ah, General. The gold? I have enough from the supply you gave to me at the beginning of the operation to make one more payment, but after that. .”
“You will get no more from COSTIND. It is up to you to find the treasure. That is all there is to it.”
Liu stopped himself from protesting more. He knew the general wouldn’t be swayed by any argument he could devise.
There were over a hundred and fifty men scouring the volcanic lake and the banks of the River of Ruin. He’d always known it was only a matter of time to find it, but time was the one thing now taken from him.
Liu nodded at the two Panamanians pretending not to be offended that they’d been excluded from the conversation. “I will negotiate to extend the bullion you’ve given me. I should be able to buy a few more weeks.”
Yu just shrugged. He had no interest in those kinds of details. “Is there anything else you need from me?”
“I don’t think so, sir. My geologists have assured me that the ground in the Gaillard Cut has been sufficiently
