“Go to Liuchiu Island tonight. You should have plenty of time. Rent or bribe a boat out of Linyuan, and be on the island by nine. At precisely ten, you’ll be at a small cove on the western shore. The exact location, landmarks, and local designation have been faxed to a Covert-One asset at the American Institute in Taiwan. They’ll be hand-delivered to you.”
“What happens at the cove?”
“You meet another Covert-One, Avery Mondragon. He’s a Sinologist from Shanghai. The recognition word is ‘Orchid.’ He’ll deliver an envelope containing the proof that’ll prevent another Yinhe—The Dowager Empress’s actual manifest. After that, go directly to the airport in Kaohsiung. You’ll meet a chopper there from one of our cruisers lying off shore. Give the pilot the manifest. Understood?”
“Same recognition word?”
“Right.”
“Then what?”
Smith could hear the chief of Covert-One puffing on his pipe. “Then you can go back to your conference.”
The phone went dead. Smith grinned to himself. A straightforward, uncomplicated assignment. Moments later, the taxi pulled up in front of the Hi-Lai Hotel. He paid the driver and walked into the lobby, heading for the car-rental desk. Once the courier had arrived from Taipei, he would drive down the coast to Linyuan and find a quiet fishing boat to take him to Liuchiu. If he could not find one, he would rent one and pilot it himself.
As he crossed the lobby, a short, brisk Chinese man jumped up from an armchair to block his way. “Ah, Dr. Smith, I have been waiting for you. I am honored to meet you personally. Your paper on the late Dr. Chambord’s theoretical work with the molecular computer was excellent. Much food for thought.”
Smith smiled in acknowledgment of both greeting and compliment. “You flatter me, Dr. Liang.”
“Not at all. I wonder whether you could possibly join me and some of my colleagues from the Shanghai Biomedical Institute for dinner tonight. We in the People’s Republic are keenly interested in the work of both USAMRIID and the CDC on emerging viral agents that threaten all of us.”
“I would very much like that,” Smith said smoothly, giving his voice a tinge of regret, “but tonight I have another engagement. Perhaps you are free some other time?”
“With your permission, I will contact you.”
“Of course, Dr. Liang.” Jon Smith continued on to the desk, his mind already on Liuchiu Island and tonight.
The Covert-One Novels
The Hades Factor (with Gayle Lynds)
The Cassandra Compact (with Philip Shelby)
The Paris Option (with Gayle Lynds)
The Altman Code (with Gayle Lynds)
The Lazarus Vendetta (with Patrick Larkin)
The Moscow Vector (with Patrick Larkin)
Also by Robert Ludlum
The Bancroft Strategy
The Ambler Warning
The Tristan Betrayal
The Janson Directive
The Sigma Protocol
The Prometheus Deception
The Matarese Countdown
The Apocalypse Watch
The Road to Omaha
The Scorpio Illusion
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Icarus Agenda
The Bourne Supremacy
The Aquitaine Progression
The Parsifal Mosaic
The Matarese Circle
The Gemini Contenders
The Holcroft Covenant
The Chancellor Manuscript
The Road to Gandolfo
The Rhinemann Exchange
The Cry of the Halidon
Trevayne
The Matlock Paper
The Osterman Weekend
The Scarlatti Inheritance
Also by Patrick Larkin
The Tribune
With Larry Bond
Red Phoenix
Vortex
Cauldron
The Enemy Within
Day of Wrath
By Eric Van Lustbader
Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Legacy
Acknowledgments
The future holds many interesting scientific advances. One of the most challenging and fascinating is the DNA—or molecular—computer. We are very grateful for all the generous help of Kathleen Foltz, Ph.D., who shared her cutting-edge understanding of the field. Dr. Foltz is an associate professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Recently the National Science Foundation named her a Presidential Faculty Fellow. She is also a member of the Marine Science Institute.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ROBERT LUDLUM’S THE PARIS OPTION
Copyright © 2002 by Myn Pyn LLC.
Excerpt from Robert Ludlum’s The Altman Code copyright © 2003 by Myn Pyn LLC.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 978-0-312-38171-4
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.