Junko Terashima was there in less than a minute.
— I came to Hong Kong because one of Semyonov’s men said he would talk to me. One of his insiders.
— Who? Are you sure you can you trust him?
— He’s calling himself an insider at ShinComm. A man called Oyang who works with Semyonov at ShinComm. He wants to meet me at 7pm, but now I’m here, I’m nervous. I think I’m being followed. But I figured I had to see the ShinComm man, because that’s more important for my story.
— Junko. 7pm is the same time as Semyonov’s party. They’re keeping you away from Semyonov. They’re playing you, keeping you at a distance.
— I know they’re keeping me away from Semyonov. But that’s part of the deal. I have to go with it to get the story.
— Junko. For god’s sake don’t be so trusting.
— That’s what China21 said to me.
— What the hell? Who are China21?
— They are my source about the weapons. They know about the ShinComm factory. They told me about that weapon you saw in Afghanistan. If you use it long enough it stops the heart with low frequency vibration.
Stone’s fingers stopped on the keyboard. He realised his jaw had just dropped, cartoon-style. The words repeated in his head. “… it stops the heart with low frequency vibration.” Who was this naive, sappy Japanese girl to tell him that? Who the hell was she to have those kind of contacts?
— To hell with ShinComm, Junko. You were supposed to see Semyonov’s people, but now it turns out they work with him in China. Sit tight, and give me the address.
— They told me
— Tell me the address Junko
— Ming Dai Hotel, Quarry Bay. Malaya Street. It’s at the Snake Market.
Stone stuffed the little computer in his backpack and ran from the hostel. Junko had every reason to be scared. If anything she wasn’t scared enough. Junko had no idea what she was into.
Stone skipped down the escalator onto the concourse of the Hong Kong MTR subway station at Jordan, his mind working fast. He’d come to Hong Kong because of Semyonov. He’d formed an idea in his mind about Semyonov as an evil arms maker and poured into it all the anger he felt about Hooper and that bastard Ekstrom. He’d been emotional. He knew barely anything about Junko Terashima, about ShinComm Corporation or any of them. And now there was a dissident group involved too, called China21.
To hell with Junko’s meeting with her insider from ShinComm — whatever he knew. He’d find the girl, get her out of there and take her down to Semyonov’s big party at the Zhonghua to talk to the man himself. Then he’d put this Junko on the plane back to Japan. She was a danger to herself and others.