“It’ll be enough,” John declared, but how could he know that?

The door opened and the shorter of the two Chinese security men stuck his head out. He called to Grayson, then gave Jed a curt nod. He waved his hand to the two Venezuelan goons, who laughed together, far more casual in their duties, from the dead end of the wall past the door.

All four of them arrived at the door, just as their various principals filed through, briefcases over shoulders, assistants shuffling behind them, and the heavily armed Chinese corralling them like goats from behind. Down the hall toward the mezzanine lobby, four green-uniformed soldiers stood with their arms crossed, waiting to escort Zhao.

This was it. Showtime.

The plan would either work or it wouldn’t.

They would whisk Zhao away and he would tell the Shepherds everything they needed to know about the energy weapon.

Or the Chinese state police would intervene, and they’d be arrested and sent to a Chinese gulag for the rest of their lives.

Or perhaps they’d be shot dead in the park between the Renaissance hotel and the Hong Kong convention center.

The possibilities were endless.

CHAPTER
TWENTY

PARK JUST SOUTH OF HONG KONG CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE

OVER THE CENTRAL–WAN CHAI BYPASS TUNNEL

WANCHAI, HONG KONG SAR, CHINA

1153 HOURS LOCAL

Jed scanned the park for unexpected threats as the entire contingent of scientists, staff, and security from the morning meeting walked as a group over to the convention center. He kept his hands clasped in front of him within easy reach of the German Heckler & Koch VP9 pistol in an appendix holster along his waistband. To the east, across the green space, he saw two narrow high-top ambulances—John’s ambulances. Evac via ambulance was the exfil plan, but looking at them now, he wondered if two EMS vehicles pulled right up to the park might look suspicious to the Chinese security detail. Must not look too suspicious, he thought, because the police haven’t interrogated the drivers yet. And the police were here. He spied multiple police cars, parked in the east and west corners of the park. He also noted a multipurpose truck parked nearby—not exactly a SWAT vehicle, but close enough that he assumed it held a squad of paramilitary police inside.

Wonderful.

“Got eyes on you, One,” said Hyeon, who was stationed inside ambulance one. “I hold Dr. Zhao toward the front of your group, flanked by four Chinese guards. He’s walking pretty normal, Joshua Actual; you sure this drug is gonna work?”