Page 120 of Clive Cussler's Quantum Tempest

Linlin’s German employer, Peng reminded himself. The front company that arranged for the ASML lithography machine transfer that was destroyed.

“A plane was destroyed. Was she involved?”

Nighswonger nodded.

“How? Did she tell you about the transfer of the equipment?”

“Yes.”

Peng still couldn’t believe it. His best operative? A traitor?

“What does Linlin Zhang look like?”

“Young. Striking. Serious.”

Peng’s eyes narrowed. He knew in his soul she was describing Linlin.

His desire for Zhang had blinded him. The emotions welling up now threatened to overwhelm him. He tamped it all back down through the sheer force of his considerable will, his mind already plotting the next steps.

“Anything else you can tell me about this Zhang woman? The Guardians?”

Nighswonger shook her head. “No. Nothing.”

“Are you certain?”

She nodded. “I’m so…tired.” She closed her eyes.

“Of course. You have done well. Let me give you a sedative.”

Peng stood as he reached for the hypodermic containing a lethal dose of fentanyl. He planned a quick and humane death for the terrorist. He was not a cruel man, and rejected the violent methods of his predecessors.

But that was before she had confessed to a list of murderous crimes against his people.

Instead, Peng picked up the empty hypodermic he had already used. He pulled back the plunger and filled the void entirely with air. He then inserted the needle into Nighswonger’s IV port and smoothly depressed the plunger under his thumb, forcing the deadly bubble into her bloodstream with cold precision.

Moments later, the air embolus did its work.

Emily’s eyes snapped open as her body jerked involuntarily, her mouth pried open by a horrified grimace. Her chest heaved with short, shallow breaths that could gather no air, and her numbed fingers twitched as they tried to claw the sheets. Sweat beaded across her paling face even as her lips blued. Her panicked eyes fell on Peng’s smiling face, his arms crossed as he stood triumphantly above her.

Nighswonger’s breathing shallowed into ragged gasps, her sightless eyes darting wildly across the ceiling. The fabric of her gown rippled with each thud of her hammering heart until she took one last, final draw of empty breath from her gaping mouth.

Peng savored the image of the dead Guardian’s corpse. He hoped her death was as painful and terrifying as it appeared to be.

He turned to Agent Tu.

“Colonel Shi is in San Salvador. Get him on a secured line immediately.”

Tu nodded curtly and sped from the room to fetch a satellite phone.

Peng pulled the sheet over Nighswonger’s face as he made his final plans for his beautiful traitor Linlin Zhang.

64

Aboard theOregon

The Joby’s six propellers were spinning up, no louder than a human conversation. Gomez sat in the pilot’s seat, his eyes avoiding the touching scene unfolding beyond his windscreen. A swiftly setting sun threw long shadows over the deck as the eastward sky darkened into deeper blues.

Murphy towered over Linlin, his eyes wet with emotion, his smile forced.