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before your new software … and it's from a Beatles song I heard on the radio once。 'We all live in a yellow submarine；' something like that。 I listened to the radio a lot back then； when I was first studying English。 I spent half an hour looking up submarines in the dictionary and then the encyclopedia； trying to find out why a ship was painted yellow。 Ahh！〃 Her hands flew up in the air。
The encryption key！ Nomuri tried to hide his excitement。 〃Well； it must be a lot of folders。 You've been his secretary for a lot of time；〃 he said casually。
〃Over four hundred documents。 I keep them by number instead of making up new names for them。 Today was number four hundred eighty…seven； as a matter of fact。〃
Holy shit； Nomuri thought； four hundred eighty…seven puter documents of inside…the…Politburo conversations。 This makes a gold mine look like a toxic waste dump。
〃What exactly do they talk about？ I've never met a senior government functionary；〃 Nomuri explained。
〃Everything！〃 she answered； finishing her own cigarette。 〃Who's got ideas in the Politburo； who wants to be nice to America； who wants to hurt them … everything you can imagine。 Defense policy。 Economic policy。 The big one lately is how to deal with Hong Kong。 'One Country； Two Systems' has developed problems with some industrialists around Beijing and Shanghai。 They feel they are treated with less respect than they deserve … less than they get in Hong Kong； that is … and they are unhappy about it。 Fang's one of the people trying to find a promise to make them happy。 He might。 He's very clever at such things。〃
〃It must be fascinating to see such information … to really know what's going on in your country！〃 Nomuri gushed。 〃In Japan； we never know what the zaibatsu and the MITI people are doing … ruining the economy； for the most part； the fools。 But because nobody knows； no action is ever taken to fix things。 Is it the same here？〃
〃Of course！〃 She lit another smoke； getting into the conversation； and hardly noticing that it wasn't about love anymore。 〃Once I studied my Marx and my Mao。 Once I believed in it all。 Once I even trusted the senior ministers to be men of honor and integrity； and totally believed the things they taught me in school。 But then I saw how the army has its own industrial empire； and that empire keeps the generals rich and fat and happy。 And I saw how the ministers use women； and how they furnish their apartments。 They've bee the new emperors。 They have too much power。 Perhaps a woman could use such power without being corrupted； but not a man。〃
Feminism's made it over here； too？ Nomuri reflected。 Maybe she was too young to remember Mao's wife； Jiang Qing； who could have given corruption lessons to the court of Byzantium。
〃Well； that is not a problem for people like us。 And at least you get to see such things； and at least you get to know it。 That makes you even more unique； Ming…chan；〃 Nomuri suggested； tracing the palm of his hand over her left nipple。 She shivered right on mand。。
〃You think so？〃
〃Of course。〃 A kiss this time； a nice lingering one； while his hand stroked her body。 He was so close。 She had told him of all the information she had … she'd even given him the fucking encryption key！ So her 'puter was wired into the phone system … that meant he could call in to it； and with the right software he could go snooping around her hard drive； and with the encryption key he could lift things right off； and cross…load them right to Mary Pat's desk。 Damn； first I get to fuck a Chinese citizen； and then I can fuck their whole country。 It didn't get much better than this； the field spook decided； with a smile at the ceiling。
CHAPTER 13
Penetration Agent
Well； he left the prurient parts out this time； Mary Pat saw when she lit up her puter in the morning。 Operation SORGE was moving right along。
Whoever this Ming girl was； she talked a little too much。 Odd。 Hadn't the MSS briefed all the executive secretaries about this sort of thing？ Probably…it would have been a remarkable oversight if they hadn't…but it also seemed likely that of the well…known reasons for mitting treason and espionage （known as MICE： Money； Ideology； Conscience； and Ego）； this one was Ego。 Young Miss Ming was being used sexually by her Minister Fang； and she didn't much like it； and that made perfect sense to Mary Patricia Foley。 A woman only had so much to give； and to have it taken coercively by a man of power wasn't something calculated to make a woman happy…though ironically the powerful man in question probably thought he was honoring her with his biological attention。 After all； was he not a great man； and was she not a peasant？ The thought was good for a snort as she took a sip of morning seventh…floor coffee。 It didn't matter what culture or race； men were all the same； weren't they？ So many of them thought from the dick instead of the brain。 Well； it was going to cost this one dearly； the Deputy Director （Operations） concluded。
Ryan saw and heard the PDB； the President's Daily Brief； every day。 It covered intelligence information developed by CIA； was prepared late every night and printed early every morning； and there were less than a hundred copies； almost all of which were shredded and burned later in the day of delivery。 A few copies； maybe three or four； were kept as archives； in case the electronic files somehow got corrupted； but even President Ryan didn't know where the secure…storage site was。 He hoped it was carefully guarded； preferably by Marines。
The PDB didn't contain everything； of course。 Some things were so secret that even the President couldn't be trusted。 That was something Ryan accepted with remarkable equanimity。 Sources' names had to remain secret； even from him； and methods were often so narrowly technical that he'd have trouble understanding the technology used anyway。 But even some of the 〃take；〃 the information obtained by the CIA through nameless sources and overly intricate methods； was occasionally hidden from the Chief Executive； because some information had to e from a certain limited number of sources。 The intelligence business was one in which the slightest mistake could end the life of a priceless asset； and while such things had happened； nobody had ever felt good about it…though to some politicians； it had been a matter of infuriating indifference。 A good field spook viewed his agents as his own children； whose lives were to be protected against all hazards。 Such a point of view was necessary。 If you didn't care that much； then people died…and with their lost lives went lost information； which was the whole point of having a clandestine service in the first place。
〃Okay； Ben；〃 Ryan said； leaning back in his chair and flipping through the PDB pages。 〃What's interesting？〃
〃Mary Pat has something happening in China。 Not sure what it is； though。 She's keeping these cards pretty close。 The rest of today's document you can get on CNN。〃
Which was； depressingly； not infrequently the case。 On the other hand； the world was fairly sedate； and penetrating information wasn't all that necessary。。； or apparently so； Ryan corrected himself。 You could never tell。 He'd learned th