“Look familiar?” Rudi asked.
“Very familiar,” Kurt said. “Apparently, Joe’s future wife has a twin.”
“Had a twin,” Rudi corrected. “That robot is buried at the bottom of a canyon near the anomalies Paul and Gamay discovered.”
“What was it doing down there?”
“It appears they were doing some deepwater mining. There’s a great deal of additional wreckage down there, including a habitat that was crushed like a tin can.”
“Any idea what they were digging for?” Joe asked.
“Afraid not. But whatever it was, it had to be valuable. Our own experience proves that underwater mining is usually fifty to a hundred times as costly as ground-based extraction. In other words, even if they found a mother lode of platinum and gold down there, they’d be better off just leaving it there. It would cost more to pull out than it would be worth owning.”
“Then it has to be something worth more than gold.”
“The geology department is looking into it,” Rudi said. “But, right now, they’re stumped. There’s nothing they can come up with that would be worth the effort.”
“Something tells me the Chinese came to the same conclusion,” Joe said. “The place looks abandoned.”
“That’s true,” Rudi said. “Nothing on the video suggests an effort to rebuild.”
Kurt sat back. Something didn’t add up. He turned to Akiko. “When did Kenzo first discover the Z-waves and the tremors?”
“Almost a year ago,” she said, confirming what Kurt already knew.
He turned his attention back to Rudi. “You’ve got faster internet than we do, Rudi. Do us a favor. Look up CNR and find out when they incorporated.”
There was a brief delay before Rudi came back with the answer. “The partnership was announced eleven months ago.”
Kurt nodded. “And when did China suddenly reach out to Japan and start thawing out relations?”
“Also eleven months ago,” Rudi said. “In fact, the initial contacts coincide with CNR’s incorporation to the day.”
Kurt could see the outline of the answer, even if he couldn’t see what was at its center. “The Chinese wouldn’t go through all this trouble to cover up an abandoned mine or to save face from an operation that went awry. They’re hiding the truth because it’s an ongoing operation. One that has shifted from the bottom of the sea to the islands of Japan.”
“That’s a big leap,” Rudi said.
“I don’t think so,” Kurt said. “All the actors are here. Han and his robots. The Chinese diplomats. A warming trend in diplomatic relations between the two countries that’s proceeding at the pace of a bullet train. All pushed by the Chinese side after seven decades of demanding apologies and reparations for Japanese aggression in World War Two.”
“What are you suggesting?” Joe asked.
“Whatever they were looking for in that underwater canyon they now believe they can find here, in Japan or in Japanese waters. Han is an extension of the Chinese state. The warming trend is a cover under which to operate. CNR is the tool to be used when they find what they’re looking for.”
“Which is?”
“Impossible to know,” Kurt admitted.
“I’ll give your theory to the geology team,” Rudi promised. “Maybe they can round up a few possibilities. My primary concerns are getting Paul and Gamay back and figuring out what the Chinese stumbled onto down there and how to stop the flooding. And our only hope of achieving either goal is by putting the screws to Walter Han.”
“Understood,” Kurt said.
“I don’t care if our hides get hung out to dry,” Rudi added, “I want you to find out what he’s up to, even if you have to break into that factory and abduct him with your bare hands.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to go to such extremes,” Akiko announced.
Kurt turned. She had his phone in hand. A text was flashing on the screen.
“A message just popped up,” she explained. “Walter Han is inviting you to dinner.”