General Masao Takahashi walked into the empty lab and glanced at his watch. The prime minister had insisted that he accompany him to meet with the Chinese president at his retreat outside Hanzhong. They were to fly out of Japan in a few hours and at this rate, he would barely make it to the airport in time for their scheduled departure.

It mattered little, though. What could Sanetomi do other than demonstrate his displeasure in the careful, ambiguous way of all frightened politicians? His anger would quickly dissipate when he saw how contrite and deferential his highest-ranking soldier was in the presence of President Yandong.

Takahashi smiled. Of course, Sanetomi would see this as an indication that the power of his office had been reasserted, but the truth was very much the opposite. Submissiveness was easy to feign when talking to the dead leader of a dead civilization.

When he looked through the lead glass wall at the containers filled with nanoweapons, his brow furrowed. Sixteen. No more than there were last time he’d been there. Ito had promised that all 120 were on the verge of completion, and no one had informed him of a delay.

Takahashi pulled out his radio and entered the code for Hideki Ito. For the first time in their decades-long association, there was no answer.

His jaw clenched as he stared at the empty rows in front of him. Ito had always been weak. His single-mindedness and addiction to research funding had made him easy to manipulate, but recently his focus had begun to waver. It was something that would not be tolerated.

Takahashi switched channels to connect with the head of his security detail. A moment later his man’s voice crackled to life over his earpiece.

“What can I do for you, General?”

“Ito isn’t answering his page. Locate him.”

“I’m sorry, sir. We’re rebooting some of our security systems and won’t have that capability for a few more minutes. It’s possible that his communications have been affected.”

“If you can’t do it electronically, then send your men out. I want him found and brought to the storage lab. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll do it immediately.”

Takahashi felt a familiar knot tying itself in the back of his shoulders. While the technological explanation was plausible, his gut said it was something more. He was losing control of the scientist.

His hunch was confirmed a moment later when the silence was broken by the deafening screech of the containment breach alarm.

He put his radio to his mouth again, reconnecting to security. “Report!”

“We’re on with the main lab and they say they have no breach,” came the frightened reply. “We have people on their way to check the storage lab. It may have—”

“I’m in the storage lab!” Takahashi shouted. “It’s secure.”