Free An Inch of Ashes by David Wingrove Page A

parts of the complex of delicate wiring. Those devices would sit there, unused, for months, until the day when the
Ping Tiao
launched their attack. Then they would be triggered and Bremen would suffer a massive communications blackout.
    That had been the plan. But now things were in chaos.
    Gesell looked down. ‘Do you think they’ve passed on what they knew?’
    Mach shrugged, his expression bitter. Even killing them had not appeased his anger. ‘I don’t know. I hoped to keep one of them alive for questioning, but they fought hard. It was as if they’d been ordered not to be taken alive.’
    ‘That’s so.’ Again DeVore entered the conversation. He moved closer. ‘You should take one of them now, before they hear of it.’
    Ascher nodded. ‘I think he’s right. What if they take poison or something?’
    Mach shivered, then bowed his head. ‘Okay. We’ll take them now. But if it’s like it was with the others, it won’t be easy.’
    DeVore narrowed his eyes, studying Mach. His respect for the man had grown enormously. Matton and Tucker had been two of his best men; not merely good at their task of infiltrating the
Ping Tiao
but good fighters, too. He was sorry to lose them. Sorry, too, to have had his network of spies uncovered, his eye amongst the
Ping Tiao
blinded. Now he would have to depend upon cruder means – on bribery and blackmail. Unsatisfactory means.
    ‘Concentrate on just one of them,’ he said, meeting Mach’s eyes. ‘Take him yourself. Then bind him tightly, so there’s no chance of him harming himself. After that you should do things slowly. Time, that’s all it needs. Time will break the spirit of any man. Then you’ll find out what you want to know.’
    Mach stared back at him steadily. ‘You’ve done this?’
    DeVore nodded. ‘Many times.’
    ‘Then I’ll do as you say.’
    DeVore smiled. ‘Good.’ But it would be too late. As soon as Mach had revealed what he had done, DeVore had pressed the tiny panel at his wrist, opening the channel that switched everything he was saying direct into the heads of his three surviving agents. Already his men would have heard his words and taken the appropriate action.
    ‘And if we discover nothing?’ Gesell asked, looking directly at DeVore.
    ‘Then we continue. We must assume now that they know about our plan to attack Bremen, but not when or where we will strike. Or
how
precisely. Meanwhile, it would profit us to seem to change our plans. To look for other targets. And let them know...’
    Mach looked up again, smiling for the first time since he had entered the room. ‘I like that. A diversion...’
    DeVore nodded and smiled back at him. ‘What does Sun Tzu say? “The crux of military operations lies in the pretence of accommodating one’s self to the designs of the enemy.” Well, we shall seem to back off, as if discovered, but in reality we shall continue with our scheme. If they know nothing of your plans then no harm has been done today. And even if they do, they’ll not expect us to pursue it after this, neh?’
    Mach studied him thoughtfully a moment, then nodded. ‘Yes. But I must go. Before they hear...’
    Haavikko closed the door behind him then gave a small shudder, staring at the tiny slip of plastic in his hand. His senior officer had been only too glad to approve his new posting. From Major Erickson’s viewpoint it must have seemed a blessing to be rid of him. He had been nothing but trouble. But now he was Karr’s man; part of his special services unit. Still a lieutenant, but with a future now. And a friend.
    He was meeting Kao Chen in two hours, but first there was one more thing to sort out. His sister, Vesa.
    Vesa had been living in a small apartment in the Mids since their aunt had died a year back. Wrapped up in his own debauchery, he had not known of her plight until recently. But now he could do something. The job with Karr brought with it a private living unit in Bremen: four rooms, including the luxury