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He led them inside to a security checkpoint, where a woman gave them each a visitor's badge. A large brass seal hung on the wall behind her. It featured a Bengal tiger standing on an outcropping of rock above a cluster of lotus flowers. It bore the words: NATIONAL BIODEFENSE AGENCY. There was more written at the bottom in Devanagari script, but Mazer had no idea what it said.
Ketkar escorted them deeper into the building, passing through a wide atrium. There was an air of opulence to the place--not flagrantly so, but it was certainly not the bland utilitarian decor Mazer had come to expect from government agencies. Marble floors. Palm trees. A fountain. It felt more like a luxurious hotel. They went through another door and then they were outside again, this time in a beautifully landscaped plaza in the center of the building. Benches, flowers, pathways, small fruit trees. Ketkar stopped and faced them. "Before we go down, I wanted to take a moment to apologize on behalf of my government for keeping you confined to the safe house since your arrival. I've been ordered to tell you that we did so solely for your own protection, but you're all too smart to believe that. This is a delicate political situation, gentlemen, as you can imagine, and my superiors are taking extreme precautions. No one was quite certain what to do wi
th you, so they kept you locked down while they argued the matter."
"What's to argue?" asked Shenzu. "We came here for help."
"Yes, but you didn't come here on behalf of the Chinese government. This was not a sanctioned mission. You came here as three rogue soldiers. That made a few members of our National Security Council uneasy. Our relations with China are tense as it is. Many feared how China would respond if we helped you."
"If the counteragent works," said Shenzu, "China will take it gladly."
"Yes," said Ketkar, "but we're not convinced that giving the counteragent to the Chinese military is the best course of action."
Shenzu couldn't hide his surprise. "What are you saying? You will let China burn? You will stand by while millions more die."
"You misunderstand me, Captain. India wants to help. And will help. But handing over the counteragent to your military will not necessarily produce the best results. Your army is exhausted and spread too thin. You've lost your best field commanders, and you have pockets of survivors regrouping into units without any clear command structure. You're fragmented and disorganized, Captain. We're not certain China can get the job done."
"You don't mince words," said Shenzu.
"This is war, Captain, not a dinner party. India cannot allow the Formics to reach our borders. We must do everything in our power to stop them now, in China. Dropping off barrels of the counteragent at the Chinese border won't cut it."
"What are you proposing?" asked Wit. "Troops?"
"Essentially," said Ketkar. "The president wants to broker a deal with the Chinese in which we offer the counteragent if they agree to allow Indian PCs into China to help administer it. That's why I'm involved in all of this."
"The PCs are certainly capable," said Wit.
"Yes, but the Chinese have been vehemently resistant to outside troops," said Mazer. "Especially from India and Russia. It's not like India is an ally. Are you sure China will agree to this?"
"They don't have a choice," said Ketkar. "They're lost without the counteragent. The entire southeast coast has fallen, from Hong Kong to Shanghai. Their economy is in ashes."
"Even so," said Mazer. "What if China refuses? India can't hold the counteragent hostage. China would go public. They'd say you have the solution but aren't sharing it. They'd say you were letting their people die. They'd paint you as heartless bastards. The world would despise you overnight. China would then put so much international pressure on you, you would be forced to give it to them anyway."
"It won't come to that," said Ketkar. "Captain Shenzu here will see to it that China approves."
Shenzu laughed. "Whoever told you I have a position of influence is sadly misinformed, Major. I am no one. A lowly captain. Nothing I say to the CMC or Politburo holds any weight whatsoever. I doubt I could even get a message through the people who filter their communications."
"You underestimate yourself," said Ketkar. "And it's not the CMC or Politburo you'd be addressing. It's the people of China and the rest of the world."
"What did you have in mind?" asked Mazer. "A press conference?"
"A demonstration of the counteragent," said Ketkar. "We'd have every major news outlet covering it live via holo. Shenzu and Dr. Gadhavi will be the stars of the show. Gadhavi conducts the demonstration. He would make it theatrical."
"And what am I to do?" said Shenzu. "Clap and look Chinese? If so, we're in luck. I excel at both."
"Your part's more involved than that," said Ketkar. "Following the demonstration you would then make a few heartfelt comments to the press."
"Again," said Shenzu. "I'm nobody. Why would the press care what I have to say?"
"Because you are the liaison officer of the great General Sima, the brilliant Chinese commander who destroyed a Formic lander. You will say that Sima ordered you to bring a sample of the gas to Dr. Gadhavi in the event that something happened to the Chinese science team."
"You want me to lie on camera?"
"General Sima is an international hero," said Ketkar. "And now that he's deceased, many in China see him as a martyr. A symbol. Sending you here is precisely the type of move a brilliant commander like him would make."
"So Sima gets credit for yet another victory he had nothing to do with," said Shenzu.
"Are we certain Sima is dead?" said Mazer. "I don't mean to be indelicate, but it would be embarrassing if we did this only to have Sima appear on the nets debunking the whole operation."
