Fulcrum

 Claire needed to convince the other side. She had a few contacts, but nothing high enough up to make decisions.on the matter or to take it up the chain without someone finding out, but  she knew someone who did.  

Fan Li, the head of Mekong LLP, a consulting firm in Engineering, Management and Accounting was a profitable legitimate company, but was in reality a front for FORCE agents, their consultants leading a double life, one as experienced business consultants, the other as deadly femme fatales.  She was part of Claire’s executive team, a close confidant and the only person within FORCE who had the contacts they needed.

They met in Claire’s office over tea, where everything was laid out.  

Fan understood everything that needed to be done even as Claire explained it, even adding a few things in her mind for extra insulation from discovery.

‘Shouldn’t be too hard, I’ll start later this week, I just need to finish up an assignment I’m working on then I’ll make arrangements and fly to Zhuhai,’ she smiled taking a sip of tea.

‘Don’t take this the wrong way but no one is even sure where the main HQ is, they have offices and compounds everywhere,’ Claire asked.

‘Exactly, but that is only true from the outside looking in.  I know several people, all retired, but really there is no retirement from our type of work, doesn’t matter what side you're on.  Rather than go through current members, I’ll use the back door approach.  These people I’m speaking of have their own businesses now, some very large all with foreign sales for just the purpose as before, gathering information and intelligence, except this time it's under the guise of capitalism.  However, even the most competent spy sometimes needed the aid of a more competent consulting firm to set things up.  I undercharge for my services, as you know sometimes, I like to think of it as a delayed quid pro quo and now it's time to collect,’ Fan explained with a smile over the rim of the cup.

^^^

Fan had returned to Mekong LLP HQ, located in Macau to go over her files on who she would contact, in truth she had already settled on the person, a woman named Fei Ling Zhao who she knew lived in Zhuhai, China’s first Special Economic Zone.  The city was located right next to Macau.

Fan flew into Zhuhai as promised.  She kept herself as inconspicuous as possible, good looks attracted attention and being almost constantly on surveillance camera, standing out was not a good plan.  

Before she had retired Fei had been a very low level operative in Bangkok. Her cover was that of an export agent for the Fú (Good Fortune) Trading Company.  Bangkok was a sleepy assignment, so to fill her time and ingratiate herself to her masters in Beijing and gain more access to the city's business and political elite, she concentrated on her cover job and soon discovered she had a knack for it.  Money flowed back to Beijing making her overseers happy and rich, she knew, invites and access flowed her way from the city's tycoons, she also didn’t send all the money back home.  Beijing was over 3200km away.

‘It was a long way to see, especially if you're not looking,’ she used to say.

In time she started Xīn Fú (New Good Fortune) Trading Company.  Both firms prospered and Fei was soon very rich, very well connected, both in Bangkok and Beijing.  She cultivated rising stars in the Ministry, insulating herself from hard line zealots and jealous rivals, she spread money about and when needed sweetened the deal with herself.  Her machinations kept her out of the eye of suspicion for her entire career.  The cruel fate of all female spies caught up with her in her mid forties, her masters thought her too old to be of much use in the alluring department and replaced her as a field agent bringing her back to Beijing where her assorted lovers clearly did not think that true at all.  She retired at 55, by then her business interests were established in the mainland as well and even in Macau and more importantly all her efforts inside the Ministry had bore fruit.  Her lovers occupied several of the highest positions and a couple of others had power in places it was useful to have.  Fei was free to run her businesses, pay her bribes, enjoy the fruits those bore and when her lovers wanted a more skillful woman, she was there, exerting power over them without them knowing it.  

David Jacobs, FORCE’s brilliant Head of IS had provided Fan with all she needed to make the contact.   He tapped into her company’s email and discovered Fei was looking at a new warehouse property.  It was a simple task to replicate an idea and pass for Fan as the rep for the realtor.  

Fan met her outside the warehouse, David again coming through by creating a loop in the security camera feeds taking away any chance of a hack from another party.  Fan kept her back to Fei as the woman called out, holding her mobile to her ear as a pretense until Fei was close enough that Fan turned and they shook hands, Fei immediately recognizing Fan.

Fan wondered why they have ever retired her, she was still stunning, both in beauty and fitness, certainly FORCE would have kept her as an active agent.  

        

‘It's good to see you again Wei, I would like to talk to you I could?’ Fan Li spoke, but Wei saw more in her eyes than her words and she followed her inside the warehouse.  

Fan made a detailed and full explanation of everything that had happened so far, what had happened with Claire and then what they needed from her.  Fan knew there was no danger of overloading Fei with information, she had been after all a spy and a very successful businesswoman, but more importantly and this Fan knew as well, she could see an opportunity. 

‘You’re my magic little talisman,’ Fei smiled. ‘Everytime you show up, fortune smiles on me.  The first time was when \i wanted to take my business to the next level and you showed up.  Tell me were you working for FORCE then, or was it still COIL at that time?’

‘It was FORCE, and no I was not working for them, that became a reality right after I had finished my project for you.  I went to relax and reward myself and well, if it wasn’t for this woman, ,my good friend now, I would have been killed.  I became a recruit that night,’ Fan explained.

‘And now you show up again, asking for my help, it seems our roles are reversed this time and now you’re the client,’ Fei responded, then added.  ‘How do you know you can afford my asking price?’

‘How do you know you can refuse my asking?’ Fan countered letting the comment sink in but not too far, it was merely meant as a tease and a way of establishing a mutual respect.  ‘When I worked for you before, I never changed you what I should have, you knew that, yet you never said anything so we both kept diū liǎn.  I admired you, the path you had chosen, you were tough, smart, ambitious and guarded.  Took me a little while to figure out the last part, but when I was doing up the finances, well let’s say, numbers don’t lie and they also tell good stories as did the letters of incorporation.  I see my work helped keep you safe.  I may have been young, but I wasn’t foolish,’ Fan stated.

‘No you weren’t, part of the reason I liked you,’ Fei replied.  

‘This warehouse space is very nice, but you know I think two would be better, so would priority dock and launch for ships, first truck access and no question documentation, both shipping and receiving, that by the way would include inspection,’ Fan said.  ‘How’s my price now?’

^^^

Everyone likes to show off their latest thing, the higher up you are the more audience you have and this was about as high as you could get.  The Asia Economic Innovation and Trade Conference brought together more than half the world's population as well as risen and rising economic powers such as China and Japan in the former and India, Vietnam and Indonesia in the latter so it was no surprise that high ranking members of the ruling Chinese Government were on hand for the official opening and the party afterward.  It was the party that Alice Hamilton was more interested in.  

The trip down the stairs to the convention room made Alice’s introduction for her.  She caught many eyes including the one she wanted to, then disappeared into the crowd catching a drink along the way and mingled with the throng of people.  

She chatted with people as she edged closer to the podium where speeches of welcome and self congratulation were going on.  The mic was passed to another dignitary for more of the same when a voice, in perfect proper Mandarin said. ‘Opportunities multiply as they are seized.’

He turned around expecting to see a Chinese woman, shock then a delightful surprise crossed his face.

‘To answer a proverb with one, ‘Opportunity knocks at the door only once.’

Alice continued in Mandarin, making small talk for a few moments before moving the conversation to an uncomfortable place.  ‘I hear through a mutual friend of ours that we have a common enemy, well more your enemy than mine.’

‘Perhaps we should talk more in private,’ he said and nodded toward the washroom. ‘Meet me in five minutes,’ he said bruskly and moved off.  She smiled and sipped her drink.

‘Your Mandarin is excellent, like a native speaker, perhaps too native,’ he said as Alice entered the deserted Men’s Washroom.  The Minister stood at the far end of the tiled room, urinals on one side, stalls on the other and the sinks behind him.  Alice could see he was a very handsome man, in his mid thirties well put together and in excellent condition. The fact that he was so young and in a high position within the state meant that Fei was a shrewd judge of talent and an excellent lover to keep him fascinated with her for so long.

‘Perhaps, but my Mandarin is rather old, from the 1730’s so of course it would seem a little strange to you,’ she answered seriously and he did not know how to take it.

‘Fei Wei Ling is a wonderful agent, but she has a nasty habit of looking out for herself and aligning her desires with people who can make that happen regardless of whether that is for the benefit of the state over her own plans,’ he said flatly.

‘You failed to mention she’s also a lover,’ Alice responded. ‘Ironic that the very thing you accuse her of you seem to have as well.  Let's be polite and call them interests as well and you put them ahead of the state also or perhaps you thought that your position within the state would allow you to abuse those interests.’

He had at least the courtesy to look embarrassed at the omission but adding. ‘What do you know of, my interests?’ 

‘You like to gamble.  When you visit Fei, it's only a short car ride to Macau and the casino’s, but you don’t like the big legal ones, too many cameras and people who might know you and question why a high government official is gambling and how can he afford the rather large sums he likes to wager.  So you go to the unofficial places and now you're in a spot of trouble and that trouble has become known to other people,’ Alice explained.

‘You are indeed very well informed,’ he said.

‘Excellent, then I presume I don’t have to explain what this is all about and what conditions need to be met by both sides so all of this can be resolved to everyone’s benefit and the past stays in the past,’ Alice said.

‘Fei explained everything to myself and my colleagues and after careful, very careful and very private talks, we are inclined to go along,’ he said.

‘Incline or not, there are no half commitments on this, once it starts it cannot be stopped until all is done,’ Alice explained.  In truth she knew she had the commitment she wanted, she just wanted to hear him say it.  

‘Fully,’ he said.

‘Now I am aware there is great risk on both your sides, your sides the greater risk,’ she smiled and walked toward him.  ‘If something were to go wrong and certain information got out, it could be very damaging to you and others so I have an escape plan for you, a bargaining chip to play in the case of, well let's call it, imminent disappearance,’ Alice explained and he got the point.

She reached into her clutch and pulled out her mobile, opened the gallery and began swiping.

‘How did you come by these two books? These have to be fakes, our historians have extensively researched all known avenues and concluded one is a myth and the other had all the mentions of these destroyed by the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang as they violated The Huang-Ming Zuxun,’ he said with his eyes wide.

‘Those are two long stories, but I will tell you, because, the best kind of locked door is that which you can leave open.,’ Alice said, her Mandarin changing yet again as she took his arm in hers and smiled.