Tiger's Claw

HEADQUARTERS, PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY, BEIJING, CHINA

A SHORT TIME LATER

“The report has been verified, sir,” Vice Admiral Zhen Peng, commander of the South Sea Fleet, said by secure telephone. “Both the JH-37 and JN-20 crews reported that their radars and radios had been completely shut down after making contact with the American bombers, and that the American bomber locked onto the JN-20 fighter with an air-to-air missile tracking radar. It is a serious and potentially devastating escalation.”

“We knew about the B-1 bombers on Guam, of course,” Colonel General Zu Kai said in his office at People’s Liberation Army headquarters. “But they appear to have capabilities we did not anticipate.”

“We must do something about them, General,” Zhen said. “Long-range bombers with advanced electronic countermeasures and air-to-air weapons threaten all our air patrols. Our carrier-based fighters roamed over the South Sea freely because the American carrier-based fighters do not challenge us—they either do not launch fighters while they transit, or they keep them close to their carriers. And the B-1 bomber can carry every air-launched weapon in the American inventory, including antiship cruise missiles, torpedoes, and mines. If it can sneak up on our carriers as easy as it sneaked up to our patrol planes and screen itself from our fighters . . .”

“I know, Zhen, I know,” Zu interrupted. “I have been so focused on deploying troops to the western provinces to root out antigovernment rebels, and more troops in the cities to put down riots. I thought things had quieted down in the South Sea. Now this. The Americans are sailing through the South Sea, but not the shipping companies. Something must be done. But what?”

“There is only one solution, sir: destroy the American aircraft on Guam,” Zhen said.

“We tried that once before, remember?”

“Our weapons are a hundred times better than they were back then, sir,” Zhen said. “The American fighters on Guam patrol out only fifteen hundred kilometers or so—that is well short of the maximum range of our nuclear-tipped AS-19 cruise missiles launched by H-6 bombers. Our ballistic missile and cruise missile submarines are better too.”

“A nuclear attack on Guam would certainly trigger a nuclear response,” Zu said. “Nuclear weapons will not be used.”

“Sub- and air-launched conventional cruise missiles can overwhelm Guam’s air defenses and do the job,” Zhen said. “I have also instituted another system that will assist an attack.”

“What are you talking about, Zhen?”

“It is called Nèizài de dírén, sir—‘Enemy Within,’ ” Zhen said. “It is our most ambitious computer hacking project to date, far more extensive and successful than the hacking program against Taiwan.” Zu swallowed nervously—he knew that Zhen would not stop at just one self-initiated spy program.

“Explain.”

“ ‘Enemy Within’ is a project to hack into the computer systems controlling utilities on the island of Guam, sir,” Zhen said. Zu had to struggle to contain his absolute shock and surprise, even on the telephone. “My teams have managed to hack into every municipal computer and server on the island, as well as a number of corporate and personal networks. They are far less protected from hacking and computer virus infection than military computers.”

“What does that accomplish, Zhen?”

“The American air base on Guam gets its power, water, and telephone from the municipal utility company, sir. I can shut down all the utilities to the base instantly, on command. I have been doing it for years. The Americans think it is circuit breakers tripping from lightning, or operator error. The power goes out because I direct it. I can do the same to municipal telephone, radio, satellite, and Internet.”

Zu was absolutely stunned. A navy admiral, under his command, secretly hacking into a foreign utility? “What good does any of that do, Zhen?” Zu asked after shaking himself out of the sudden feeling of dread. “Surely the military base has backups.”

“Yes, sir, they do, and quite extensive,” Zhen said. “Their Patriot missile batteries, command post high-frequency and satellite communications, and security divisions are completely self-contained and do not rely on municipal power, and individual computers and servers have battery backups. But emergency generators cannot power everything, and in many systems it takes time, from several seconds to several minutes, for backup power to kick on and the systems to reboot and start working again. Even a short period of time can be exploited.” Zu rolled his eyes in exasperation, even though inside he was fairly trembling. “More importantly, sir, their long-range civil radars, computer networks, and normal air-to-ground communications are all powered by the municipal grid. A disruption will not completely blind or deafen them, sir, but we can confuse them long enough.”

“Long enough for what, Zhen?”

“To destroy Andersen Air Force Base, sir,” Zhen said. “Or at least destroy enough aircraft on the ground and cripple the base to make it unusable for their few surviving heavy bombers.”

Zu blinked in surprise. “Are you serious, Zhen?”

“It can be done, sir,” Zhen said. “I have a plan formulated that can do the job.”

“What if it is done, Zhen? After the Americans retaliate, they will just move them somewhere else—Japan, the Philippines, Australia . . .”

“If those countries chose to support them,” Zhen said. “Those countries would know that they would become Chinese military and economic targets. In any case, the American bomber force would be crippled and almost completely wiped out.”

“I do not know if China will continue to be such a great economic power in the world if this damnable recession continues,” Zu said. “If America reacts with a nuclear attack, it could completely destroy our country.”

“America is still crippled and weak, sir,” Zhen said. “I do not think they will risk nuclear war.”

“They have placed more ballistic missile submarines on patrol, Zhen,” Zu said. “That is their most potent weapon. Every one of our military bases would be destroyed if we attacked Guam.”

“I do not think so, sir,” Zhen said. “I do not believe the Americans want a war with China. If they retaliate, it will be with conventional cruise missiles launched against our missile bases, airfields, and command-and-control facilities, just like eighteen years ago, and I think we can disperse our weapons well enough to survive. Our surface-to-air missiles and air defenses can take care of any attack against fixed installations.” Zu was silent. “Sir, the Americans are forcing us to respond to their provocations, sir, and the main provocation right now is their bomber base on Guam. It must be attacked, but not with nuclear weapons. A pinprick would be sufficient.”

Zu remained silent so long that Zhen thought he had hung up. Then: “Do you have a plan, Admiral?” he asked. He knew he hardly needed to ask—Zhen seemed to be a fanatic with his dangerous but audacious plans, but so far they all seemed to have worked.

“Of course, sir,” Zhen said. “I have been updating the plan daily since its creation, depending on new intelligence reports, and I have reserved weapons, crews, and aircraft as much as I am allowed. The plan is ready to put into motion at any time.”

“Very well,” Zu said. “Submit it to me immediately.” He terminated that phone call, then called his deputy, General Sun. “Get me Phoenix in Washington on the ‘hot line’ and a translator immediately.”