The Mark Of The Black Widow

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Macau, East China

Thirteen days ago

Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong Kong to the east and faces the South China Sea to the east and south. The territory's economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism, but also includes manufacturing, ship building, an electronics factory and a huge foundry processing plant.

It was dawn's early light as Tony Wong cycled beside the river to the foundry where he worked. It was his second day at the new job and he had concerns at what was being produced there. The people in London had supplied him with a good enough cover to get a job as a welder there. Up until a few days ago he had worked at the neighbouring factory where he discovered electromagnets were being manufactured in unusually large quantities.

This time of the morning meant it was peaceful and the faint breeze wafting from the Pearl helped to fully wake him. He was one of many informants the allied security forces used to gather information across the world. His posting to China had been just over three years ago as a low-grade MI6 operative before FINN recently recruited him into Section 7. He was provided with specialist weapon and unarmed combat training and his cover gave him a wife and young son with a small two bedroom house. They were lucky enough to lead a moderate lifestyle and, because of having integrated into the local community, it made his cover-story more secure. Concealed beneath his kitchen floor boards was a Glock G26, should he ever need to use it, with two spare magazines and a radio transmitter. The radio was necessary because the high and low frequency airwaves were monitored less by the authorities than cell phones.

Wong dismounted from his bicycle at the factory gates, pushing it way past the armed guards at the checkpoints where hundreds of push-bikes were racked inside the huge factory grounds. Locking it, he joined the throngs of hard-hatted workers in overalls trooping into their respective vast buildings.

Last year he had worked at another factory producing electrical components for all kinds of devices from cell phones, computer parts, televisions, to security devices. He was able to discover these had an additional component which would enable the Chinese to eavesdrop and in some cases take control of the device. His revelation had earned him promotion to Section 7 and this operation.

Here in the foundry plant the department where he worked had brought in extra security. He could only enter with a security pass where guards with machine guns patrolled all across the four levels. A consignment of thirty lorry-loads of alumina, brought from Beijing had arrived two days previously, which he discovered today, was being processed into liquefied aluminium and cast into rods. Now he had his suspicions confirmed he had to radio in to his contact in town.

The sun was setting as Wong rode home tired and hungry. He was looking forward to seeing his family. They had become more than just a cover-story and he had become very fond of his toddler Dewei and pretty wife Lijuan. He enjoyed the cycling home more than the morning. It allowed him to soak in the sight of the reddening sky against the wide expanse of river.

The street lights switched themselves on as the sky darkened for the end of the day. As he approached his house he noticed a black Chevy Suburban parked across the street further up the slight incline. That was out of character with this type of neighbourhood.

The darkness gave him good camouflage enabling him to leave his bike in some bushes so he could creep through to next door's small yard and over a small fence to peer into his own house at the rear. The light was on as normal but the curtains were drawn. That was unusual because his wife liked to see the moon while they ate supper together.

A small crack where the curtains hadn't met properly allowed him see into their kitchenette. A man sat on a chair, a Type 77 semi-automatic handgun held resting on his lap, his elbow propped up on the table where Wong's gun and hidden transmitter stood exposed.

Now his cover was blown he would have to go into an emergency precedent.

Backtracking, Wong returned to the bike. He had no phone because the security procedures at the factory meant workers always left them at home. Even if he had one he'd be traced within a minute so there no way of contacting Wei Ling, his back-up in town. The police would certainly have guarded all his neighbours and he was sure there'd be patrols out looking for him. He wondered how his wife and child were and felt a sense of hopelessness he was unable to help them.

There was only one thing to do now that would give him any chance of survival. That's if they didn't get to him first.