The Wuhan Mission

Sam had ordered that her Chinese language skill be exhaustively ‘blind-tested’ in the field to make sure that she could pass for a native. She was from a different province than where he needed to place her, but that would work to her advantage.

The day she had finished her tradecraft training Sam stopped her on her way back to the locker room.

“Do you know who I am?” Sam asked her.

“Sure, you’re Bradley Cooper from that movie with those other idiots who drank too much.”

“You mean: “The Hangover?” smirked Sam.

“Yeah, can I have your autograph?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment Snow Forest.”

“Snow what now?” asked Xue Lin, confused.

“That will be your code name for your next operation. You’re going back to China. Wuhan, to be exact. You will be reporting to me.”

Xue Lin was silent.

“You have three weeks to prepare. We have a few specialty instructors lined up to educate you in some new areas. You will do exactly as they tell you. Your life might depend on it. I shit you not, you will be in harm’s way, and if things go pear-shaped, we have never heard of you.”

“OooOooOooh.” said Xue Lin sarcastically, smiling flirtatiously at Sam.

‘Snow Forest…’ she thought to herself, waiting for Chilvers to get control of his mouth that was hanging open, just a bit.

“So, enjoy your last night. Go out and have fun. Get drunk. Beat some frat boys up if you want. Tomorrow you start doing big girl stuff.” Sam turned and walked away, finishing with: “And I don’t need to tell you that this is classified” his voice echoing.

Xue Lin’s three weeks’ working with specialty instructors was intense but she secretly enjoyed all of it. Even the abusive lectures she was subjected to along the way from some of the instructors and occasionally from Sam. Her birth parents had always been vigilant about her behavior. She had been taught by them to keep her emotions inside and they admonished her regularly for being too willful and reckless. She had never shown any fear as a child, and she would always look back at them with defiance, fists clenched, during any lecture she was subjected to by them.

During her three weeks of training she had a retired Chinese CIA operative working with her on her cover story: who she was, where she grew up, her previous jobs and studies. Sam had told her that her aloof personality was a good shield and that she should maintain that cold shoulder. It discouraged friendly interrogation from friends, colleagues, strangers.

Another guy had her digging out hidey-holes in different kinds of walls to hide weapons and papers, and she learned to use power tools, plaster and paint.

She spent two hours a day in a real biotech lab with real scientists shadowing a lab assistant, learning all the little jobs she might have to do. She had instruction on Bio-hazard protocols, containers and transporting of hazardous substances.

One of the CIA analysts who had been doing background on Dr. Wu tested Xue Lin on every detail about her future boss in China.

An extremely nervous, nerdy tech guy gave her a complex course in putting together tech tools in the field using basic electronics from readily available gadgets. She could make a long range listening device by hacking a cheap laser pointer into a mobile phone. She could put together a field radio and take it apart and hide it in plain sight. She learned tricks to beat metal detectors. Useful stuff.

Sam had noticed that she often tied her hair up with chopsticks, so he adapted the ‘two-bladed attack techniques’ he’d learned for silent ops and taught them to her to use with sharpened chopsticks.

Each night Xue Lin would go home and collapse into bed. Her dreams were often about being chased. Once or twice she dreamt of Sam.

*

Sam briefed Roet about Xue Lin’s progress. It all looked very promising. After Sam had left his office, Roet opened the confidential file on her that he’d requested from the Deputy Director. There was nothing new there that he didn’t already know. He knew about the American couple because he himself had been their case officer when he had stationed them in Beijing.

They were manufacturing barbecues until their factory was shut down in 2003 by the Chinese Government during the SARS outbreak. They took Xue Lin along with them to Washington D.C. and she finished growing up in America, keeping up her Chinese language and cultural studies on the weekends. Her Mandarin was flawless, without accent.

The couple were now semi-retired, living a more comfortable life in La Jolla, California.

Chapter 11 China

Xue Lin packed a small suitcase, making sure to stick to the packing list that a normal tourist would have. Any equipment she would need on the job in Wuhan would have to be procured from a local source in China. The only weapon she had was the pair of metal chopsticks which she put in the front pocket of her suitcase.