Spyder Web

51

The British Airways Concorde flight from New York landed just before noon at Heathrow Airport. Phillip Moy had traveled alone on this flight, but he prayed that he would have a passenger with him when he returned. In the next seven hours, Moy would both betray his country and his life’s work in hopes of freeing his uncle.

A few hours earlier, another British Airways flight had arrived at Heathrow. This one, from Hong Kong, carried several men bearing diplomatic passports from the People’s Republic of China. All of the new arrivals passed quickly through British Customs and Immigration, bearing the credentials of trade representatives. In the midst of this group of travelers was an elderly man who appeared very frail and tired.

Moy checked into the Hilton, as directed, and began his vigil. Jackson Barnett had promised him security immediately upon his arrival in London. So far, he’d seen none. He knew that the promised security was out there, and hidden for obvious reasons, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was naked and alone.

At 3:30, Moy heard a knock at his door. He answered and found a smartly dressed Asian with a firm, muscular build.

‘It is time, Mr Moy,’ the man announced.

Understanding the summons, Moy grabbed his jacket and followed the man to the elevator. Once inside, the man pressed a button for a higher floor. They exited the car and walked down the long corridor toward a suite where two men stood guard beside the door. Moy saw Kang Fa’s security and wondered again about his own.

One of the sentries frisked Moy while the others watched. The sentry nodded that Moy was clean of weapons and listening devices, and the lead guard allowed him to enter the suite. Inside, he found three other men who looked much like the one who had come to get him. None of them spoke or even acknowledged his existence; their attentions seemed to be focused elsewhere. Another man walked out of the bedroom, and at first, Moy didn’t recognize him. As soon as he turned to face him, Moy realized that it was Kang Fa.

‘You have finally arrived. Good.’ Kang played the role of gracious host. ‘I assume that you will want to inspect the merchandise before completing our transaction?’

The merchandise Kang referred to was a human being, and Moy resisted the urge to strike the man for such a disgusting remark. How dare he refer to my uncle like a commodity to be bought and sold! Moy quietly raged.

‘Yes, I would like to see my uncle.’

Kang motioned with his hand. ‘He is in the other room. You have thirty minutes to hand over the codes.’

Moy entered the bedroom and found a frail old man sitting on the edge of the bed. The man was gaunt, tired, and aged beyond his years by hard labor. Moy studied the man closely. His head was slightly bowed and he seemed not to notice Moy’s arrival. But the man’s face drew Moy in closer. His skin was like a faded parchment, but the features were so similar to Moy’s father’s.

‘Uncle? Uncle Huian? It is your nephew, Guanhua. Can you hear me?’ Moy spoke softly in his father’s native dialect.

The old man looked up at Moy, and for the first time in many years, he tried to look outside of himself. Guanhua was a name he hadn’t heard in a lifetime, not since his nephew was a child. Before him, he saw the face of the man that his young nephew had grown to become.

‘Guanhua, is that really you?’ Moy Huian asked in a soft whisper. ‘I did not believe them when they said I was going to meet you. I thought it was just another of their tricks.’

‘It is no trick,’ Moy assured him. ‘You and I are here in London. I am taking you home with me.’

Moy’s half hour with his uncle passed quickly and both momentarily forgot about armed men in the adjacent room. At the appointed time, Kang entered the bedroom, interrupting the old man’s quiet whispers.

‘Are you satisfied that this man is your uncle?’

‘Yes, and I am ready to complete our transaction. Here is the key to my hotel room and another for the safe inside the closet. Send one of your men down to retrieve a computer diskette and a cashier’s check from the safe. You will find all the passwords required to complete the file transfer on that disk. The disk also contains a list of all the files that you will need to duplicate the ciphering system. The list is written as a batch command, so once you log on to the secure computer, execute that file and the computer will do the rest. It should take no more than thirty minutes to download everything you’ve asked for.’

Kang accepted the keys and turned them over to one of his men with a quick order to retrieve the disk. He poured himself a drink and offered one to Moy — which was declined. Five minutes later, the guard returned from Moy’s room.

‘Show me how to use the disk,’ Kang demanded.

Moy sat down in front of the laptop computer on the desk and inserted the diskette into the drive. Switching over the diskette, he requested a listing of the file directory; only two files appeared. Moy pointed at the first file on the screen.

‘This one contains all the access codes to the computer. Just enter the codes in the order listed, and you will pass right through the machine’s security. The other file is a batch program that automates your file retrieval. This is everything you requested.’

‘Excellent.’ Kang pocketed the diskette. ‘I must leave you now. You will remain here with your uncle until the file transfer is complete. If everything is as you say, I will order my men to release you both. If not…’ Kang shrugged his shoulders.

‘I understand,’ Moy replied, studying his aged uncle.

Kang barked out some orders to his men and left with two of them. The other three remained to guard Moy and his uncle. Moy hoped that Barnett’s forces weren’t too far away if anything went wrong.