The African Diamond Trilogy Box Set

by Christopher Lowery

  Leo opened up Ilona’s email with the list containing the names, photos and descriptions of Shen and his partners, and turned the laptop back to face the four directors. Next to the computer, he placed the printouts of Mme Lee-Win’s BPI bank statements and Ilya Pavlychko’s report, showing the payments received from the six charitable trusts, via the Moscow Trade & Kreditbank.

  It took the Chinese men a few minutes to take in the evidence before them, and to register the position and wealth of the men concerned. Dumbfounded, they looked from the screen to the documents, to each other, then all started speaking at once until Cheong signalled for silence.

  When his voice could be heard, Leo said, ‘You must have seen the reports about Russian troops and fleet movements around the ex-Soviet satellite countries? That’s what this whole five-year plan has been about. Shutting down communications across those countries until they agree to Russia’s terms. Then these oligarchs can pick up the prime pieces when the USSR is reconstituted. Mr Cheong, do you want your country and your company to be held responsible for the next Cold War, or even World War?’

  The chairman looked around at his colleagues, then he said sadly to Junjie, ‘Did they arrange the car accident that left your mother a widow and her sons fatherless?’

  ‘We believe it was Shen Fu Liáng and the woman. Then he took advantage of his position to build XPC in Dubai, far away from your control. We are sure you were deceived, just like my family, Shen’s family, Scotty and Leo and probably many others. I hope you now believe what Leo has told you?’

  Cheong stood up and bowed to his visitors. ‘Thank you for coming all this way to deliver your message, gentlemen. On behalf of us all at Lee-Win, I apologise to Mr Stewart for doubting his word and to you, Junjie, I offer my sincerest regrets at what happened to your father and mother. We have been deceived for long enough, it’s time to take action. What is your suggestion?’

  FIFTY-EIGHT

  Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

  Sunday, 18 July 2017

  ‘And you suspect the malignant cell has been added to all our processors for several years?’ Leo and the others were back in the conference room on the twentieth floor.

  ‘Probably since you added the connectivity module. That was four years ago, right?’

  ‘Yes. I designed it myself and it was introduced in early 2013,’ Han Wang Tāng replied. ‘We saw how the IoT was bringing fixed and mobile devices together, and wanted to instruct every processor to move into a mesh network environment when ACRE was perfected.’

  ‘It was a smart move. IoT’s the future. I was involved in it for a while, before XPC.’

  ‘Did you write the interface to accomplish that remote upgrade process?’

  ‘It was a team effort. We got it working just before they threw me into prison.’

  Han appreciated the modest response. ‘I would like you to know, Leo, that we’ve had many, many compliments from customers with all kinds of systems which automatically switched over to the ACRE mesh network without any problems at all. It was excellent work.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Leo’s mind returned to the problem in hand. ‘Anyway, I suppose it would have been easy for someone to add the rogue cell at the same time. Then it became part of the standard template and nobody noticed it. What does that man Hoi Wei do here? What’s his function?’

  Han replied, ‘I hired him straight from university, ten years ago, he’s only thirty-two. He did a two-year apprenticeship as a systems engineer. He’s not a programmer, he works mainly on customer-facing tasks like information broadcast, updates, systems upgrades.’

  ‘He has full access to the main hub?’ Leo was trying to reconcile the A2 hub handover code with Tāng’s description of Hoi. Abby said it’s pretty clever code. If he didn’t write it, who did, Shen? he wondered. And who added the A2 cell to the template?

  ‘The hub room can only be accessed with a coded pass card, which is changed every day for security purposes. That hub is Lee-Win’s connection to the world and it’s an ultra-secure environment. Hoi is one of the few employees with authorisation to receive a pass card.’

  ‘How do your global deployments work? I’ve never done one before.’ Leo asked.

  ‘Obviously we don’t know where all our processors end up, but we are linked to 200 local hubs around the world, covering about eighty-five per cent of Internet-served countries. All the places we know there are some Lee-Win equipped devices. That way, we expect to hit over ninety-five per cent of them.’

  ‘OK, I get it. You programme the main hub to make one deployment to the local hubs in the regions you want to hit, and then they retransmit the data to their specific area. And that’s what Hoi does?’

  ‘That’s one of his tasks, and he has always fulfilled it very competently.’

  Leo thought Han sounded too defensive, but he just said, ‘If he’s going to deploy the A2 code, he must be getting ready. Is he here now?’

  ‘He shouldn’t be working today. It’s a Sunday and we have no deployments foreseen.’

  ‘Where’s the hub room?’

  ‘It’s on the sixtieth floor, that’s right at the top of the building, near to the main aerials and transmitting and receiving equipment.’

  ‘So, if he’s up there, it’s fairly certain he’s the traitor.’ Leo took a deep breath. Shit! This isn’t a potential threat any more, it’s here and now and I’m in the middle of it.

  ‘I’ll find out.’ Han spoke on the internal telephone for a few moments. ‘Sadly, it seems your assessment of the situation is correct. Hoi Wei came into the building an hour ago and asked for clearance to do some test work in the hub room. He is there alone at the moment.’

  ‘So that’s settled. What are we going to do about it?’

  Patrice said, ‘It’s almost ten-thirty. The Moscow transmission is arriving at midnight, or later, and he can’t do anything until then. If he’s in there, we should neutralise him immediately, so we have time to prepare for whatever happens next.’

  Junjie nodded his assent. ‘I agree we should use our time efficiently, Patrice, but we are not masters in this house. Mr Cheong, Han, you are the directors of the company and we must respect your wishes. What is your decision?’

  ‘Thank you, Junjie,’ Cheong said, ‘but I’ve never faced such a situation before. I need a few minutes to discuss the next steps with my colleagues.’

  The others waited impatiently while the Lee-Win directors talked in staccato Mandarin, until Cheong announced, ‘We agree that urgent action must be taken, but without causing a scandal. It would not be helpful to Lee-Win or to our country’s reputation if this conspiracy became widely known. We must neutralise Wei ourselves, quickly and quietly.’

  Leo frowned. ‘How do you suggest we do that?’

  Han replied, ‘As far as we know, he is not interested in politics, so his actions must be motivated by money. That makes the problem easier to resolve. Mr Cheong and I will go up to the hub room together and negotiate a compromise with him. Any other course risks the matter getting out of control.’

  ‘That’s crazy! What if he’s armed and doesn’t want to listen? You’ll be sitting ducks, and then he’ll have hostages to strengthen his hand.’

  ‘I don’t believe he will be armed, he’s not a violent man and won’t expect to be disturbed. But I agree it’s best to be cautious. I have my service pistol in the safe in my office, will that satisfy you? Don’t worry, I was in the infantry, I know how to handle a gun.’

  Fifteen minutes later, the Chairman and the CEO, armed with a pass card and a NORINCO NP-42 9mm pistol, went up to the sixtieth floor, entered the hub room and closed the door behind them.

  Moscow, Russian Federation

  It was five-thirty, and Shen Fu Liáng aka Grigori Vedeneyev was enjoying afternoon tea at the Moscow Marriott Grand Hotel with his mother and sister. In the company of the two people he loved most in the world, he was relaxed and content, looking forward to his appointment with destiny at midnight. He had
time to take his family home, bathe and change, maybe even have a short nap, before meeting General Piotr Gavrikov at the GRU headquarters at eleven o’clock.

  He was pouring a fresh cup of tea for them all when his mobile pinged. ‘Sorry. It might be important. We’re finalising something tonight, so I’d better check it.’ He took the phone from his pocket and an icy chill ran down his spine. The text message from Hoi Lei said only, Timing problem. Ready now. Send instructions immediately.

  Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

  The phone in the conference room rang a few minutes after the Chairman and MD left the room. ‘It’s for you, Leo,’ said the Chinese director whose name he couldn’t remember.

  ‘Hello, who’s this?’

  ‘Hi, Leo. How’s it going?’

  ‘Marius! Hi. How’s everything in Delmas?’

  ‘I assume it’s just fine, but right now I’m downstairs at the Lee-Win reception desk. Can you get someone to authorise me to come up?’

  Five minutes later, Coetzee had met Patrice and Junjie and been introduced to the others. Leo quickly brought him up-to-date on the situation.

  He immediately asked, ‘How long have they been upstairs?’

  ‘Not more than ten minutes. They went up just before you arrived.’

  ‘And this guy, Han, he’s got a pistol?’

  Leo nodded, and Coetzee stood up. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘You mean to the hub room? What’s the problem?’

  ‘Leo, remember 2010? If someone’s got a gun, it doesn’t take ten minutes to get things sorted. Grab your laptop and let’s go.’

  ‘Why don’t we get security to come?’

  ‘You’ve got the CEO and the chairman in there, and you said they don’t want to cause a scare. If we can sort it out quietly, so much the better. If not, there’ll be time for Patrice and Junjie to get security involved.’

  ‘OK, but we need a pass card for the hub room. How do we get one?’

  ‘If we ask nicely, I don’t think we’ll need one. Time’s short, come on.’ Coetzee went to the door with Leo. ‘Patrice, you stay here with the others. If you hear nothing in ten minutes, get security up there. OK?’

  Moscow, Russian Federation

  Shen Fu Liáng was in a taxi on the way to the GRU building on Grizodubovoy Street. It was only a twenty-minute ride, but it seemed to be taking hours. He was on his mobile with Piotr Gavrikov and the general wasn’t happy.

  ‘What do you mean we have to send it out immediately? Are you fucking crazy? The president fixed the time at midnight, and that’s still six hours away. We can’t just ignore his instructions like that, he’ll have our guts for garters. What does it say exactly?’

  Shen repeated the words. ‘Timing problem. Ready now. Send instructions immediately.’

  ‘And you’re sure it’s from your contact? It couldn’t be a fake?’

  ‘I’m certain of it. I’ll be there in ten minutes, everything’s prepared, I can send it right away. I assumed you’d want to be there when I do.’

  ‘I’m in the building now. I’ll meet you at reception and we’ll decide what to do. This is a fucking nightmare situation. What the hell can have gone wrong?’

  ‘I don’t know, but it doesn’t change anything, just the time. I’ll see you in ten minutes.’

  Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

  ‘Why did you come here at short notice like that? Did something happen?’

  Coetzee pressed the button for the sixtieth floor. ‘It wasn’t my idea.’

  Leo thought for a split second. ‘Aunt Jenny?’

  ‘Right. She had one of her dreams a while ago and she was sure there’d be problems here. I should have thought of it myself. I’m sorry for putting you in harm’s way without a back-up.’

  ‘Not your fault. We should have thought more about the risks, especially when the stakes are as high as they seem to be. Anyway, you’re here now, so what’s the plan?’

  Moscow, Russian Federation

  ‘It’s too risky to call him, it sounds like there’s some kind of problem and he’s not able to talk, that’s why he texted. I’ve got to send the upload package now. If he says they’re ready, it means it’ll go straight out and that’s what we want.’ Shen was sweating freely and his hands were trembling. Five years of his life, almost half a billion dollars and closure of his hated Chinese birth right were in jeopardy, and he was stymied by a Russian general who couldn’t take a decision.

  General Piotr Gavrikov was in a state of panic. He had specific orders from the president of Russia and he couldn’t execute them. He’d called his office, but the answer was, ‘The president is unattainable for the next two hours.’ The attaché he’d spoken to didn’t have security clearance for the operation, so he couldn’t leave a precise description of the emergency. There was no one else he could call for approval and if the deployment didn’t go ahead, his career, even his life, could be suddenly over. The ball was in his backyard.

  He grabbed Shen by the arm. ‘Why the hell didn’t you foresee something like this could go wrong? Why don’t you have a fallback plan?’

  ‘Don’t try to push the blame onto me. I’ve known from the beginning you had your own man in there, in case something like this happened. The message must mean both of our people are in trouble. There’s only one option. Send the fucking instructions, now!’

  FIFTY-NINE

  Shanghai, People’s Republic of China Sunday, 18 July 2017

  The sixtieth floor was deserted, and Leo and Coetzee walked along the corridor to the hub room. It was surrounded by walls of darkly frosted translucent glass, so those outside couldn’t see in and those inside couldn’t see out.

  Leo knocked on the door. ‘Han, Mr Cheong, it’s Leo. Can you open up?’

  A moment passed, then Cheong’s voice replied, ‘Everything is under control here, Leo. We’ll be down in a short time, no need for you to come in.’

  ‘Bohai, with all due respect, I’ve come all this way, I want to make sure the threat is eliminated. Please open the door.’

  Another pause. ‘Are the others with you?’

  ‘No,’ he replied truthfully. ‘They’re waiting downstairs.’

  The door opened inwards. ‘Come in then.’ Bohai was holding the door, and Leo walked past him into the room. Han was sitting at a table, his hands flat on the worktop. He had a cut over his right eye and coagulated blood on his bruised cheek. Before the chairman could close the door again, Coetzee stepped forward from the side, pushed past him and slammed it shut.

  ‘You said you were alone! Who’s this man?’

  ‘I’m Coetzee. Who’re you?’

  ‘He’s Bohai Cheong, the chairman, and the other guy is Han Wang Tāng, the CEO. But I’m the guy in charge.’ The voice came from a man standing at a table with a PC and screens on it at the other end of the room. Tall and dark-skinned, he was holding a pistol – Han’s pistol.

  Coetzee said, ‘So, you’re the mysterious accomplice, Hoi Wei?’

  ‘That’s him, the filthy traitor.’ Bohai stared contemptuously at the man. ‘I don’t understand it, after all these years with our company. Why have you done this? Attacking your employer and planning this monstrous cyber-attack.’

  ‘Money, of course,’ said Coetzee. ‘How much are they paying you?’

  He waved the pistol at them. ‘Shut your mouths and sit there with Han, all of you.’

  Coetzee remained where he was and nodded to Leo to sit down. He dragged a couple of chairs over and sat alongside Han and the chairman. He said, ‘You OK, Han? That’s a nasty cut you’ve got.’

  Han nodded, and Wei said, ‘He’s fine, I just took the gun off him. He wasn’t expecting any resistance.’ He laughed and waved the pistol at them.

  Coetzee said, ‘And you know how to handle it.’

  ‘Shut the fuck up and sit down, I’m busy.’ He turned to the computer, checked the screen and turned back to them.

  ‘I guess that’s the hub console? You’re waiti
ng for the upload from Moscow?’

  ‘And you’re Leo Stewart, the guy who tried to fuck it up. You’re going to be disappointed. It’s on the way, won’t be long.’ He pointed the pistol at Coetzee. ‘I told you to sit down and shut up.’

  Coetzee walked towards the Chinaman. ‘Give me the gun, Hoi, before somebody gets hurt.’ He reached out his hand. ‘Give it here.’

  Hoi aimed the pistol at his chest. ‘Get back or I’ll pull the trigger. Turn around and sit the fuck down.’

  Leo had seen Coetzee in action before. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he sat forward on the chair, poised, ready to go to the South African’s aid.

  ‘I see you’ve never fired a gun. It pays to take the safety off.’ Coetzee was just a metre from him.

  Hoi looked down at the pistol, saw the safety catch and tried to flip it with his thumb.

  Coetzee grabbed the gun out of his hand. ‘Don’t ever threaten to kill me, or it might backfire on you.’ He slapped Hoi across the ear with the heel of his hand and he fell to the floor, grabbing Coetzee by the ankles, trying to pull him down.

  Leo ran over and kicked him in the deltoid. ‘Game over, Hoi.’ He screamed and fell onto his back, rubbing his upper arm. ‘Fuck! You bastard, you’ve broken my shoulder.’

  ‘I didn’t kick hard enough for that. Just a bit of bruising in the morning.’

  Coetzee pulled him to his feet and frogmarched him across the room. He pushed him onto a chair. ‘Sit there and keep your mouth shut. Give me your mobile, put the password in.’ Hoi didn’t move. ‘Do it, if you don’t want Leo to kick you to shit.’

  He handed him the phone and Coetzee looked at the latest messages. ‘He sent a text to Shen fifteen minutes ago, telling him to send the upload immediately. Have a look at that console, Leo.’

  The table was littered with files, printouts and other computer paraphernalia. There was an empty coffee mug and a plate that was being used as an ashtray. Leo pushed the mess aside to make space for his laptop. ‘What’s the password, Han?’