Page 60 of Into the Gray Zone

Jennifer looked at me, then reluctantly did so. I said, “Knuckles?”

He said, “Yeah, Pike, I’m here.”

“Where’s Nadia?”

“You’re on speaker here as well. She’s right next to me.”

I really wanted to poke him in the eye, but I let that slide. Instead, I said, “We have a MGRS number that’s located at a fort up the river from the Taj Mahal.”

I heard Nadia say, “The Agra Red Fort.”

I looked at Google Earth, saw the label, and said, “That’s it.”

She said, “What’s MGRS?”

“It’s the military grid reference system the U.S. uses. It’s a location via GPS. It was in their computer we hacked. There’s a meeting at thatlocation at ten thirty this morning. Isn’t Thakkar going to the Taj Mahal today?”

“Yes, he is. That’s not good.”

“Can you get someone on this grid? Some police to be there before whoever is supposed to meet shows? Break the whole thing up?”

I heard nothing and said, “Nadia?”

“Pike, I... I can’t get that done in time. I don’t think you understand this country. There’s no way I can get a police response in Agra from my position in the RAW. We don’t talk to each other. It’s just not going to happen. I would have no idea who to even call.”

“What about Thakkar? You’re in the pre-wedding party. Can you tell him to wave off the Taj Mahal visit?”

“That might be easier. But I’ll let you know right now, he doesn’t like me. I’m here because of the bride, not him. Let me call her.”

I said, “That’s not good enough. We’re packing up and heading to Agra. I’ll be at that grid before ten, and I need you to give me backup.”

She said, “Wait, what does that mean?”

I was already shoving clothes into my carry-on, Jennifer one step ahead of me, calling Brett and Veep. I said, “It means I need the RAW to keep me from being arrested, because I’m almost positive I’m going kinetic on their ass.”

Chapter35

Mr.Chin took a sip of coffee at a table, remaining mute, waiting for the last man to come back from the breakfast buffet, the New Delhi Imperial Hotel providing a selection for any diet. He returned and took a seat next to the three other men. They were all younger than Mr.Chin—probably twenty-five or thirty—but Chin knew that they had spent an inordinate amount of time in selection and training to be anointed a member of a Ministry of State Security Condor team. They were the highest-skilled men the Chinese Communist Party had to offer.

When the final man sat down, Mr.Chin handed the leader a folder with the passport photos he’d gleaned in Goa and said, “Your target is in this hotel. I honestly don’t know if they’re working against the CCP, but if they are, you’ll eliminate the threat.”

The leader said, “Lethal action? Here in India?”

“Yes, but only if they indicate they’re attempting to thwart our plans. If they are just conducting tourist activities, then let them be. If they go to Agra, take them out.”

“Agra is the location of the Taj Mahal. That’s literally the biggest tourist destination in India.”

“I know. The key will be if they ignore that ‘biggest tourist destination’ and go to the Agra Red Fort. I have an operation there this morning, and if this man goes there, it’s a red line. Take them out.”

“What are our parameters? We don’t blend in very well here. When you say ‘Take them out,’ what do you mean? If we do an overt direct action here, we’ll have to leave the continent, and it took a long time to get us in place under cover.”

“I understand, and so does your commander. This is how important the action is. It isn’t about India. It’s about competing with the United States for technological superiority. You eliminate them, and then you flee the continent. We’ll deal with the loss of the team here in India later, but this is precisely why you were created.”

***

Agam woke up a little disoriented, not sure where he was. He shook his head and remembered. He was in a small house in Agra, and he had a mission. He rolled over and saw Kamal packing his backpack.

Kamal glanced at him and said, “I guess your phone hack worked.”

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