“You know a great deal and very little,” she said. “What if we killed a few hundred, or even a few million, Chinese? We have a billion people. An epidemic would be far more effective for population control than the one-child-per-couple rule.”

“You’ll never be able to keep that virus contained, even with the vaccine the lab has been working on. It will move too fast. It will be in every country in a week or so.”

“Wouldn’t you say that the deaths of millions will be the most convincing reason for people to buy our vaccine?” she said. “Think of it as marketing and promotion.”

“You’re insane to think a scheme like that will work,” he said.

“It is our government leadership that is insane. Pyramid has been in our family for generations. Past governments that have tried to destroy our organization have paid the price. We were here long before those so-called leaders were even born. We won’t be thrown into history’s dustbin.”

The figure at the table seemed to glow incandescently as she launched into a diatribe against the Chinese Communist government for having the audacity to take on an organization that goes back hundreds of years.

Zavala had been staring spellbound at the woman.

“Kurt,” he whispered, “I can see through her. Look at her right arm, the one she’s waving around.”

Austin focused on the moving right arm. Through the material of her loose-fitting silk sleeve, he caught faint glimpses of the brick wall behind her.

“You’re right,” he said. “She’s nothing but a projection, like Max,” referring to the name Hiram Yeager gave to the holographic personification generated by his interactive computer.

The Dragon Lady noticed Austin’s grin and stopped her tirade.

“You are a strange man, Mr. Austin. Don’t you fear the prospect of death?”

“Not from someone who’s no more real than a comic strip.”

“Enough!” she snarled. “I will show you how real I am. My brother Chang awaits your arrival. He will make sure your death is long and painful.”

She issued an order in Chinese, and the guards moved in. “Wait a minute,” Austin called out. “What if I can produce Dr. Kane?”

She barked a second order, and the guards froze in their tracks.

“You said that Kane was in protective custody,” she said, “and couldn’t be reached.”

“I was lying . . . I do that a lot.”

“That’s true,” Zavala threw in. “Kurt is one of the biggest liars I know.”

Austin gave Zavala a sidelong glance that told him he was laying it on a bit too thick.

“Let me make a phone call,” Austin said, looking back at the Dragon Lady, “and I’ll set him up.”