The Spy Who Loved Me Ch. 04

I nodded. "Go on."

"So I told her that if she was prepared to get me more information, I could arrange for her to get out."

I gasped. "A defector?"

"She leaped at the chance. She said she could get all the documents – I gave her a memory stick – but I had to get her to the US."

"How on earth can we make that happen?" I asked.

Tim nodded. "It's a tough one. It's not like Eastern Europe, where a border to a more open country is just a short drive away and the guards can be bribed. And the other usual trick – a submarine at some deserted beach – is hard to pull off. The Chinese have a major naval presence – it's not called the East China Sea for nothing."

"So what do we do?"

Tim grinned. "We've ruled out land and sea, that just leaves air. South Korea is in range for a stealth helicopter, so we just have to arrange for Mei-Li to be in the right place at the right time."

"OK," I said. "What's the plan?"

Tim shifted position, holding me closer. "She asks for a couple of days off to visit one of the five sacred mountains of Taoism. Completely coincidentally, you and I book a trip there through our cooperative guide. On the way there, Mei-Li has a very unfortunate accident – the roads up the mountain are particularly dangerous, and her car plunges down a ravine into a lake – too deep to look for a body."

"Of course, she's not in the car, and we give her supplies, help her get to the pickup point, then go on and enjoy our trip while SpecOps get her out."

I nodded slowly. "Sounds simple when you put it that way."

"So, shall we get some sleep?" Tim said. "We have to put on a convincing act tomorrow of having kissed and made up."

"Kissing sounds like a good idea," I said, pulling him down to me...

***

We went down for breakfast in the morning to find our guide already there. The doubtful expression on her face cleared as we walked into the dining room hand in hand, smiling and – for their culture – overly affectionate.

"Good morning," she said. "Ready for another day?"

Tim smiled. "Actually we've decided that we'd like a change from the city. We really enjoyed the museums, but we want to see some countryside. Is it true that the Taoists worship mountains? Jane and I love the Rockies, we'd really like to see the mountains here."

She thought for a moment. "Trip to Tai Shan is possible. You enjoy your breakfast, I find out."

She left us to our coffee and rolls. Tim grinned. "I rather led her by the nose into that one – Tai Shan is the nearest Taoist sacred mountain, and perfect for our plan."

Our guide returned. "All arranged. Car at the entrance in half an hour, you have two night stay, see the mountain, come back here."

Tim thanked her, and we went upstairs to pack for the trip. We came down with our bags to find the car waiting.

"I see you back here," said our guide. "Enjoy your trip."

The car pulled away, and soon we were on a wide expressway heading south. We stopped for lunch along the way, and our driver was eager to tell us that the city where we'd halted was the centre of China's solar energy industry.

"Very interesting," nodded Tim.

The road started to climb into the mountains, and I saw what Tim meant as we negotiated tortuous switchbacks. Eventually we reached our hotel, not far from the summit of the mountain, and Tim thanked our driver.

"We should get an early night," Tim said. "One of the main attractions here is the sunrise, it would be a shame to miss it."

We checked in, and went up to our room. Tim opened the curtains, and I gasped. "Wow. If the view is like this now, the sunrise must be spectacular."

We went for a walk around, then had dinner in the hotel restaurant. When we got back up to our room, we showered, then got ready for bed. As we lay in the darkness, I said, "Tim? I hope this comes out OK."

He wrapped his arms around me. "Me too. I've never done anything quite this ambitious. But we have some good backup on this – the special forces guys are second to none. If we can get Mei-Li to the right place at the right time, they'll get her out."

I buried my head in his chest. "It's still a big responsibility – I feel like we're playing with someone's life."

"She wanted out," reminded Tim. "And if her information is as good as she says, we can complete the mission."

"Mm," I said sleepily. "And then...?"

"We'll see," said Tim, kissing the top of my head.

***

The sunrise the next morning was every bit as spectacular as we'd anticipated, and we spent the rest of the day exploring the top of the mountain, enjoying the breathtaking views. Tim bought a thick coat – Chinese army style – from a vendor on one of the paths, and when I gave him a quizzical look, he said, "For later."

After dinner, we went back to our room, and I watched as Tim assembled the items he'd need for his meeting with Mei-Li. Finally, he pulled on the thick coat and turned to me.

"Here goes," he said. "Wish me luck?"

I wrapped my arms around him. "Take care, my love."

He nodded, then pulled reluctantly out of my arms and was gone.

Again I tried to read, but without success. I decided to go to bed, and undressed, climbing between the sheets. I imagined what could go wrong – Tim apprehended on his way to meet Mei-Li, or the two of them caught faking the accident with the car.

I drifted into a fitful sleep, punctuated by fragmentary dreams of Tim in some cell, harsh lights shining into his eyes.

I heard a key turn in the lock, and sat up, holding the sheets to me. "Tim?"

He came into the room, now minus his coat, breathing heavily.

"Are you all right?" I asked anxiously.

He nodded. "I just had to scramble the last part – I ran into a procession of monks, would you believe, making their way up to the top of the mountain for a vigil."

He unzipped a pocket and took out a small object. "Here's what all the effort has been for."

I took the memory stick from him. "And Mei-Li?"

"At the pickup site with a low-intensity coded beacon – and that coat. Don't want her to freeze to death if the chopper's a little late."

I got out of bed and pressed myself to him, feeling the cold of his clothing against my bare skin. "Come to bed?"

"One last thing to do," he said, taking the memory stick. "I have to encrypt this and send it to Beth – fortunately the hotel has a business suite with an internet connection."

"Hurry back, my love," I said. He nodded, and was gone again.

A few minutes later he returned. "It'll take the specialists at the agency a while to work through the material, but we should know tomorrow what we've got. And we'll get a message from the special ops team when they're back in South Korea."

He smiled. "Meanwhile..."

***

I woke in the morning with an immense feeling of relief. Whatever the outcome, we'd played our cards.

Tim was already up, sitting at the writing desk by the window. "Mei-Li is safely in Seoul," he said. "They're arranging a flight for her, she'll go to the Farm first to fill in background on the material she gave us."

He grinned. "So back to Beijing for us, then I have a surprise for you."

I pretended to look uncertain. "Not more cloak and dagger stuff."

He shook his head. "Somewhere I always promised myself I'd go if I was ever in China. Totally different to anything we've seen so far, and I know you'll be amazed."

After breakfast, we showered and packed, then waited for the car which would take us back to the capital.

Again we broke our journey for lunch, and Tim pointed out a giant ferris wheel, looking just like the London Eye. "The only one in the world built over a bridge."

I shivered. "I'll give it a miss."

We arrived back in Beijing and were met by our guide. "Good trip?" she asked.

We nodded. "The mountain is very beautiful, and the sunrise was spectacular."

"You know what you want to do next?"

Tim smiled. "We only have a couple of days left. For the last part of our trip, we'd really like to go to Guilin."

Her eyes lit up. "Ah, Lijiang. Of course – quite a few visitors want to go there, those who know."

I rolled my eyes. "OK, I get it, it's a surprise."

"I make all the arrangements. Flight very early tomorrow, about three hours."