‘Yes,’ Colonel Wu replied gruffly. ‘I very proud of my daughter.’ He struggled with even those few English words.

Hui continued to make introductions, ending with a moon-faced middle-aged man. ‘And our translator, Zan Zhi.’

‘Good to meet you, Professor Wilde,’ said Zan.

‘And you.’ Nina shook his hand before turning back to Hui. ‘But it doesn’t seem like you need a translator – you all speak English.’

Hui laughed. ‘Zhi does not translate English. He translates his language.’ She gestured at the crate as it was carried towards the bunker. ‘The language of the Nephilim!’

Nina remembered what Eleanor had told her. ‘How much have you translated?’

‘I will show you. Please, come.’

Nina was about to follow her when a commotion at the plane caught her attention. Donny Miller, hands cuffed behind his back, struggled with three of the Chinese commando team. ‘Fuck you! Let me go, you slant-eyed bastards! I’m still a US citizen, and a rich one too – you have no idea of the amount of shit that’s going to come down on you!’

Two other men carried Eleanor out behind him. She was not cuffed, though they held the frail old woman in such a way that there was little she could do to resist. ‘Donny!’ she snapped. ‘At least show some dignity. You’re a Miller; behave like one.’

‘Fuck you, Mom!’ he shouted back.

It was plain from her affronted expression that her son had never spoken to her like that before – at least not within earshot.

‘I bet that’s been about thirty years coming,’ said Eddie.

Colonel Wu gestured impatiently to the Millers’ escort. The pair were frogmarched towards the bunker.

‘What are you going to do with them?’ asked Nina. She had no love for either, but the People’s Republic of China was not a nation with a kid-glove reputation for the treatment of prisoners.

‘We find out who give them classified information,’ he replied. ‘We interrogate them.’

‘Interrogate?’ Miller yelled. ‘Bullshit – they’re going to torture us!’ He shouted pleadingly to Nina. ‘You can’t let this happen!’

To their mutual surprise, Eleanor let out a small laugh. ‘You’re going to torture my son? Well, that saves me the trouble.’

‘Mother!’ Miller cried, appalled.

The commandos hauled the pair through the entrance.

Hui spoke quickly to Nina. ‘I’m sorry. We should have waited until you were inside before taking them from the plane.’ The comment was addressed as much to the facility’s commander as the redhead.

‘Are you going to torture them?’ Nina demanded.

The colonel eyed her coldly, but his daughter was the one who replied. ‘They are responsible for espionage against the People’s Republic. The United States has in the past abducted Chinese nationals, even senior government officials, accused of similar crimes against America. We are following your example.’

‘You didn’t answer my question.’