False Horizon - Alex Archer [107]
“The code name for the supposed location of the nuclear waste facility we had learned about was always Shangri-La. The contractor who put the map on the market called it that, after what the Chinese planned to name the place.”
“So, a dual-meaning sort of thing, huh?”
“To Tsing, I was just a history teacher looking for the fabled location of the real Shangri-La. In his mind, he was going to get the map back. In my mind, I was working to ascertain the exact location of a nuclear waste facility built and operated by the Chinese government. Three layers of duplicity, I guess you could say.”
“And one very confused Annja Creed.”
“Welcome to the intelligence world.”
“No, thanks.” Annja turned away. “What happened to the facility, anyway? I haven’t seen any mention of it on the news.”
“That’s because there hasn’t been any.”
“How in the world could they possibly keep that a secret?”
Mike shrugged. “They had help.”
“Who?”
“Uncle Sam.”
“We helped them? Why the hell would we do such a thing? They damn near contaminated an entire country. The world deserves to know what happened.”
“Things aren’t that black and white anymore, Annja. The cold war’s over and we live in a new world now. Enemies aren’t always enemies. Friends aren’t always friends. About the best we can manage now is a sort of gray relationship where hopefully we all get along and manage to keep the world spinning.”
“So we helped them keep the lid on this?”
“More than that, we helped them clean it up.”
“Clean it up?”
“Turns out their containment structure is pretty amazing. It kept most of the gloop inside where it needed to be. The Shangri-La structure atop the waste box simply fell in and vaporized or whatever.”
“But all that radiation…?”
“Currently being piped to a new treatment facility. One we’re helping the Chinese build so they do it right.” Mike shrugged. “It ain’t a perfect world, Annja, but it’s pretty much the only one we’ve got.”
“And what about me?” Annja asked.
“What about you?”
“I ate a peach off one of the trees in the land we were in. So am I going to get radiation poisoning?”
“Nope.”
“You say that so positively.”
“I am positive. You weren’t exposed to any radiation. Nothing showed up on your tests.”
“What tests?”
Mike smiled. “The ones you took while you were in the hospital.”
“I don’t remember those tests.”
“Blood work, mostly,” Mike said. “I had my friends check you out to make sure there was no lasting damage to you. You’ll be sore from your other injuries, but otherwise, you’re good to go.”
Annja frowned. “And what if I don’t feel like keeping what happened here a secret? What if my conscience demands I tell people about it?”
Mike scowled. “Then I’d have no choice but to let my superiors know about that incredible sword of yours.”
Annja stopped. “You’re blackmailing me?”
“It’s not blackmail, Annja. It’s just an agreement. We help each other here. You don’t get hassled by the government and you keep quiet about that thing you witnessed. Everybody makes out just perfectly.”
“What about Tuk? He saw the same things I saw.”
“Tuk’s not a problem. He’s being paid a handsome annuity to stay quiet. And he says he wouldn’t say anything, anyway.”
Annja stayed quiet for a moment. “All right.”
Mike clapped his hands. “Great. Thanks, Annja.”
“So, answer me this. How did the Chinese know about Tuk? And how did they find all those people to look like him? He really thought they were his long-lost tribe.”
“Hsu Xiao reported Tuk to Vanya and they figured it out from there. As for the workers, they’d been carted in from a small village in southwestern China. Turns out everyone there is that size and no one really knows why. Who knows, maybe that’s where Tuk is really from.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter now,” Annja said. “Vanya killed them all.”
Mike nodded. “One of the tragedies of this whole thing.” He pointed at the cab. “We should get going.”
Annja slid into the cab and rested her head