The Wuhan Mission

“Right. Looking at ‘student visas,’ surname Wu, virologist, and we have a Miss Ning Wu, currently enrolled at New York University.

Could be the one I’m looking for. Call NYU admissions and get them to send everything they have on her. Copies of enrollment forms, home address. Most importantly I need to know who her father is.

“On it!” then Marcus hung up.

Roet hoped that Jimmy might come up with something concrete on Dr. Wu.

The agency would have to try to put one of their own operatives in with Wu as soon as they could find him. This would all take some time and preparation.

Roet answered his desk phone: “This is Marcus.”

“NYU admissions confirms a current Masters student, Miss Ning Wu. Her enrollment forms contain her apartment address, her father’s current home address in Beijing, phone number and some of his other details. Immigration says that he visited the United States only once with his daughter to look at schools three years ago. Profession was listed on his landing card as ‘scientist’, but listed on the daughter’s University entrance form as ‘Virologist’. Guess she was trying to impress the entrance committee.

“Send me everything!” said Roet and hung up.

Chapter 5 Jimmy Is Summoned

Jimmy ironed his black suit. His alarm had gone off at seven but he was already awake, thinking about the day ahead. He had been summoned to the Chairman’s office for a meeting. Jimmy had never been in the Chairman’s office before, but he imagined it was like one of those scenes in the American President’s Oval Office he’d seen on some of his pirated movies. He had not been told what the meeting was about.

On his way in in, Jimmy pulled his car over and double parked next to his favorite breakfast vendor. He ordered the fermented mung bean juice and some deep fried pastries.

As Jimmy chewed, he thought about the possible trouble that he might be in. Some of the things he had done during his time as a Government employee were Capital offenses. He had spied for the Americans, he had even killed a couple of people for them. If the Government looked further into what he had been doing, they would be pushing bamboo shoots under his fingernails in no time. Knowing his Government, it would probably be a very long and painful death.

He kept chewing and then washed down the glutinous mixture in his mouth with some acidic mung bean juice. “Delicious!” he thought to himself, “I hope they have mung beans in America.”

Jimmy passed his ID out the driver side window of his car to the guard at the gate, and she had a good long look at it while the guard in the box called ahead to verify Jimmy’s appointment. They waved Jimmy through, raising the gate.

As Jimmy parked and went through security, he started to sweat. The Chairman’s assistant told Jimmy to take a seat until the Chairman was ready for him. He looked at the assistant’s pretty face. She could have been a model if she had wanted to. She was probably the daughter of a senior official, so he didn’t attempt any small talk with her. Before long the door opened inward and his current boss, the Secretary of the Party, was there in the doorway shaking hands with the Chairman, looking just a little bit peeved. As he left the office he threw a glance at Jimmy that was impossible to interpret. Jimmy’s face was already perspiring noticeably.

The Chairman motioned for Jimmy to come in, closing the door behind them both and walking over to the small bar on wheels containing crystal glasses and bottles of high end liquor.

“Scotch Whisky?”

“No thank you sir. I am a bourbon man.”

“Very well, Jimmy. Bourbon for you” the Chairman replied, smirking and picking up the Jack Daniels that Jimmy could see had the word ‘monogram’ on the label.

Jimmy thought to himself: “Ah the good stuff.”

As he poured Jimmy’s drink and then his own, the Chairman said deliberately:

“We only have to travel down the road for the next mile, and if we are willing to go step by step, we can reach any goal, no matter how far it seems, just by focusing on immediate, reachable goals.”

Jimmy nodded and watched the Chairman’s face intently, hoping for an indication of what the hell he was talking about.

“The reason you are here today,” the Chairman continued, “is that you have been assigned a special job. You are moving on. You are relocating to the Hubei Province. More precisely, its capital, Wuhan.

You will be my eyes and ears in Wuhan where I have some special projects going on. From time to time you will be assigned extra jobs. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir”

“You will be provided with a car, new clothes, a much better salary, and most importantly, more responsibility.”

“Yes sir.” Jimmy said, nodding, poorly concealing his excitement and relief.

“I need you to be down there in Wuhan by Monday. You are to report directly to me on a regular basis.”

“Yes sir.”

“That is all Jimmy. You have the rest of this week to make any preparations you need for the move. You are relieved from your duties serving the Secretary.”