88° North. J.F. Kirwan

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      ‘Most cancers start inside the body,’ he said. ‘Something goes wrong, a few cells get the wrong message, and start producing malignant cells that the immune system cannot clean out. Your situation is different, as it was for my engineers. You have been attacked from the outside.’

      ‘The net result is the same,’ she said. ‘Corrupted cells reproduce, immune system can’t cope, too much damage.’

      ‘The situation is different for the immune system, and science has made tremendous advances in immunotherapy for particular types of cancer. But it all depends on genes. The engineers didn’t have the right gene make-up, and it was too late for them by the time I perfected the technique. But you, Nadia—’

      She held up her hand to make him stop. The Colonel had told her before she’d left. A radical therapy that might work, because she had a particular gene. But he’d also said they’d have to start before symptom onset, and she was way past that point now. She thought of Jake. If he was still alive … But right now she was focused. She needed to free Jake and take Salamander down. For Katya, for her father, for Bransk, for Jones, and countless others she’d never known. But mainly because Salamander was still plotting something. He was smart, always one step ahead. She knew he would probably take her down with him. That was the best outcome she could realistically hope for. And she could only take him down if she had no future, otherwise there would be a sliver of hope holding her back, making her blink at the crucial moment. She folded her arms.

      ‘I’ve listened to you, as you asked. The answer is no. It’s final. Just do what the Chef asked you to do, give me something to keep me going, and nothing more.’

      Sakuro nodded. He took out the cigarette case, lit another one, opened a briefcase full of medical equipment, and began pulling on rubber gloves.

      The Chef entered a few minutes later. ‘Are we good? Can you keep her going?’

      Sakuro answered, facing Nadia. ‘We start now. It will be painful. I do not think that will be a problem for you.’

      ‘Thank you,’ she said, though she wasn’t sure why.

      Nadia awoke to find it was 4.30 p.m., according to the clock fashioned inside a toy landscape, Star Wars, maybe. She was in a bed just big enough for her, in a child’s room. The late afternoon sun streamed in through ineffectual flower-pattern curtains. Sakuro’s procedure had indeed been painful, but she felt alert, all traces of nausea banished. She’d been sweating profusely – the sheets were soaked – a side-effect of the milky green concoction he’d pumped into her veins, using a syringe fit for a horse. In fact, she had no idea what he’d actually injected her with – whether it was something to keep her going, or something to try and begin a cure. Maybe both. As long as it did the former.

      Never one to laze in bed with her thoughts, she took a cold shower using the handheld water spray while squatting in the half-bath, flinching when the water doused the still-raw wound in her shoulder. She dried off and found new clothes. Normal ones, this time. Feeling marginally better, she joined the Chef and Jin Fe in the lounge. Sakuro had left. When she saw what they were watching on the news, her good mood evaporated.

      The network channels showed stills from the video – her fist connecting with Hanbury’s chin, her standing with the gun pointing at his head, Hanbury lying on the floor in a pool of thickening blood. The last had been taken later; there was yellow-and-black crime scene tape within the frame. Some of the other channels, including a Russian one, showed the doctored video. It caught Nadia’s harsh expression as she punched Hanbury, and then shot him. Impressive editing. Ninety-nine out of a hundred viewers would judge her a cold-blooded murdering bitch. A high-ranking Chinese official stated that she was armed and dangerous, public enemy number one. On BBC World a British official talked about this atrocious act, how no stone would be left unturned …

      She slumped in the chair where Sakuro had been hours before. She felt like a pawn who’d just been flicked off the chessboard by a grandmaster. But Jake was still in play, for some reason she couldn’t fathom. Which meant she had to crawl back onto the board. She caught the Chef’s eye.

      ‘What did the Colonel say?’

      The Chef interlocked his fingers. One of eight ninja signs that had multiple meanings. This one signaled conflict. It also meant they were stuck in the trenches of battle, and would have to wait. Patience. Not her strong suit. It had a third meaning, one she preferred not to delve into.

      Defeat.

      ‘The Colonel will protect you as long as he can. But the British are already leaning on his superiors for answers.’

      ‘They know I saved their asses, right? Doesn’t averting a nuclear strike on London count for something?’

      He gestured at the TV with the remote. ‘Would you like to watch it again?’

      He was right. Salamander had played this well. Checkmate after only three moves into the game. Fool’s mate.

      What made it worse was that Jake was missing. The Brits would be desperate to hear from him, to get his side of events. But he’d been unconscious, so couldn’t verify anything even if he was still alive. Which he was, she told herself, because otherwise … No otherwise. He was alive. Period.

      ‘We need to find Jake,’ she said.

      ‘We need to find Salamander,’ the Chef countered.

      ‘Then back to the original plan. Find Blue Fan.’

      And that was where her plan tripped and fell flat on its face. Jake had intended to use police intel and Hanbury’s network to find her. When all was said and done, Hong Kong wasn’t that big, just very populous. Blue Fan was probably still in Wan Chai, not far from where they were right now. But that didn’t help locate her.

      ‘I may be able to help,’ Jin Fe said.

      They both turned to her. Nadia had been wondering how to get the girl out of Hong Kong to … anywhere. Somewhere she could make a fresh start. She’d hoped to elicit help from Hanbury …

      ‘What do you know about Blue Fan?’ she asked.

      ‘Our line of business is run by the triads. Blue Fan is with the Green Dragon triad. We are owned by the White Tiger triad. They are rivals. You need to talk to the Judge. Then you will find Blue Fan.’

      ‘Just like that?’ Nadia asked.

      ‘Well …’ she lowered her eyes to the tablecloth, then lifted them and stared at the Chef. ‘You must go through the Judge, and offer to kill her. A challenge. That will get her attention. I’ve heard she rarely refuses.’

      Nadia wondered how she knew so much. ‘And how do we get his number? Do you happen to have it?’

      Jin Fe took out her phone, wiggled her fingers on its surface, then handed it to Nadia. ‘He will answer this number.’

      Nadia stared at her.

      Jin Fe shrugged. ‘The Judge likes girls who like girls.’ She fixed Nadia with her eyes. ‘Not just pretend ones, the real deal.’

      Nadia recalled the way Jin Fe had stroked her arm back at the bar-brothel. She cleared her throat, and addressed the Chef. ‘What do you think?’

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