Page 123 of Clive Cussler's Quantum Tempest

“What do I care?”

“Please respect my basic needs. I very much need to use the restroom.”

“Shut up and hold it.”

“You’re in charge. You have all the power. You therefore have the ability to respect my dignity.”

“Why should I care for the dignity of a traitor?”

“Because respect earns compliance. Isn’t that what Peng wants from me?”

Chang’s eyes narrowed, thinking.

Linlin lowered her head, and whispered.

The colonel knelt down to hear what she was saying.

“Do you remember what I said about stepping very carefully?” she said in a cold, soft voice that sent chills through Chang’s steely spine.

Chang stood and pointed at one of his female operatives standing in the corner.

“Take her to themáofáng. And hurry.”

?

The female guard cut Linlin’s bonds with a Spyderco tactical knife. She pocketed the blade and grabbed Linlin roughly by the elbow, pushing her in front of her and toward the steel door into the women’s bathroom.

“Privacy?” Linlin asked.

The scowling guard yanked the door open, shoved her inside, stepped in behind her, and shut the door. She pointed at one of the three stalls.

“Privacy. There. Hurry.”

Linlin smiled as she rubbed her aching wrists, her hands just in front of her mouth.

“Thank you for your kindness, comrade. Men are such beasts. Only another woman understands a woman’s needs, don’t you agree?”

“Hurry.”

“Which stall do you want me to use?”

The guard shifted her eyes to the stalls to point one out.

That nanosecond of distraction was just enough time for Linlin to thrust the rigid fingers of her right hand into the woman’s throat,shattering her larynx, cutting off both her wind and voice. The woman’s hands unconsciously grasped at her ruined throat as Linlin cracked the side of her skull with her elbow, striking the mandibular nerve behind the jaw and knocking her out instantly.

Linlin caught the guard’s body before it could hit the ground. She set her gently down on the filthy tile floor knowing she would die of asphyxiation before she regained consciousness. Such was her service to the Party.

Zhang pressed the door lock shut, and rifled through the guard’s pockets until she found the razor-sharp knife and snapped it open.

It would have to do.

She glanced over at the large mirror over the sink. She saw her father standing behind her, his rough farmer’s hands resting on her shoulders. He smiled proudly and whispered in her ear.

“Be brave, daughter.”

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The People’s Republic of China