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n blocked our inquiries and demanded to know our business。 It seems you're not the only one interested in this guy。〃
〃Sounds like we opened a can of worms；〃 said Pitt。 〃Why would our own government throw a security lock around Shang？〃
〃My impression is our intelligence agencies are conducting a classified investigation and don't appreciate an outside probe slipping under their fence。〃
〃The plot thickens。 Shang can't be pure as the driven snow if he's under a secret government investigation。〃
〃Either that or they're protecting him。〃
〃Which is it？〃
〃Beats me；〃 admitted Yaeger。 〃Until Max and I can carry out a heavy hacking project into the proper data sources； I'm in the dark as much as you are。 All I can tell you is that he's not the second ing of the Messiah。 Shang slithers around the world like an eel； making enormous profits from a myriad of what appear to be perfectly legal enterprises。〃
〃Are you saying you have no evidence that he's involved with an organized…crime group？〃
〃Nothing shows on the surface；〃 answered Yaeger。 〃Which doesn't mean he can't operate as an independent。〃
〃Maybe he's Fu Manchu reincarnated；〃 said Pitt lightly。 〃Mind telling what you have against him？〃 〃His flunkies tossed my cabin。 I'm not keen on strangers probing about my underwear。〃
〃There is one thing you'd find interesting；〃 said Yaeger。 〃I'm listening。〃
〃Not only do you and Shang have the same birthday； but you were born in the same year。 Under his culture Shang was born in the year of the rat。 In yours； under the sign of Cancer。〃
〃That's the best the finest puter whiz in the business can e up with？〃 Pitt said dryly。
〃I wish I had more to offer；〃 Yaeger said regretfully。 〃I'll keep trying。〃
〃I can ask no more。〃 〃What do you plan to do now？〃
〃There isn't much I can do；〃 said Pitt； 〃except go fishing。〃 He didn't fool Yaeger for an instant。 〃Watch your back；〃 Yaeger said seriously； 〃or you may find yourself up that famous foul…smelling creek without means of propulsion。〃 〃I'll be my old； usual cagey self。〃
He punched off the CALL button； reached up and set the Indium phone in the fork of a tree。 Not the greatest of hiding places； but better than allowing it to lie around the cabin in the event of another search while he was away。
Pitt hated brushing off Yaeger's loyal concern； but it was better the head puter guru at NUMA knew as little as possible。 For what Pitt was about to do he could get arrested。 And if he wasn't careful； the probability was even greater of getting shot。 He only hoped to God there were no unforeseen consequences。 He had a leaden feeling in the pit of his stomach that if he made a mistake； his body might never be found。
There were two hours of daylight left when Pitt walked the dock to the boathouse。 In his arms he carried a jumbo…sized ice chest and a large mounted salmon that had hung over the cabin's fireplace mantel。 Once inside he opened the ice chest and lifted out a small autonomous underwater vehicle built by Benthos Inc。； an undersea systems technology designer。 Inside a black housing no more than twenty…five inches in length by six inches wide； the AUV held a high…resolution color video camera。 Its battery power supply could propel two counter…rotating thrusters for slightly over two hours。
Pitt laid the pact little unit in the bottom of the sailboat along with a fishing rod and a tackle box。 Next he opened the outer doors to the boathouse； climbed down and took his place at the tiller。 Pushing off the dock with a boat hook until it was free of the boathouse； he stepped the mast； raised the sail and lowered the centerboard。
To an observing eye he looked like a garden…variety businessman on holiday leisurely sailing on the lake。 The climate was pleasant but cool； and he was dressed warmly in a red wool lumberman's shirt and khaki pants。 On his feet he wore sneakers and sweat socks。 The only contrast with serious fishermen was that they would have used a powerboat or a rowboat with an outboard motor to go after salmon and trout； certainly not a sailboat。 Pitt chose the slower of the two boats because the sail made a good shield from any video cameras at the resort。
He propelled the little craft further away from the boathouse by pushing the tiller back and forth until the afternoon breeze filled the sail； and he began gliding across the blue…green waters of Orion Lake。 He tacked easily； skirting the deserted shoreline while keeping a respectful distance from the huge home at the lower end of the lake。 In the deepest part of the lake less than a quarter mile from Shang's boat dock； Pitt came into the wind and dropped the sail； leaving just enough raised to flap in the breeze and hide his movements。 The rope on the anchor was not nearly long enough to reach the bottom； but he lowered it as far as it could reach to act as a drag to keep the wind from pushing the sailboat too close to shore。
With the lowered sail facing one shore and his back to the opposite； he leaned over the side and peered into a bucket with a transparent bottom。 The water was so crystal clear that Pitt could see a school of salmon swimming a good hundred and fifty feet below。 Then he opened a fishing tackle box and removed a hook and lead sinkers。 The only fish Pitt had caught in the past thirty years； he caught underwater with a spear gun。 He hadn't held a rod and reel in his hands since he fished with his father； Senator George Pitt； off the coast of California when he was a young boy。 Still； he managed to tie on lead sinkers； slip an unfortunate night crawler over a hook and cast it into the deep。
While under the pretense of fishing； he also uncoiled a reel of thin wire and placed a coffee cup…sized transponder that sent and received electronic signals over the side of the sailboat。 He lowered it to a depth of twenty feet to assure that it was out of the acoustic shadow of the boat's hull。 A similarly sized transponder was housed in the aft end of the AUV。 These two units and the electronics inside the AUV casing formed the heart of the system by talking to each other acoustically； allowing underwater control and video signals to be received by a small recorder。
Next； he removed the AUV from the ice chest； carefully lowered it into the water and watched as it silently slipped beneath the surface； its black casing giving the appearance of some ugly creature from the abyss。 Pitt had over two hundred hours operating tethered robotic underwater vehicles； but this was only the second time he had operated an autonomous system。 His mouth felt slightly on the dry side as he watched the little vehicle that had cost NUMA two million dollars sink out of sight into the lake。 The autonomous underwater system was a marvel of miniaturization and for the first time enabled NUMA scientists to send a robotic unit into areas that were previously impossible to reach。
He unfolded a laptop puter with an oversized； high…resolution； active…matrix display； and powered up the system。 Satisfied a secure acoustic link was established； he scrolled through the control menus and selected a bination of 〃remote and live video。〃 Under normal circumstances he would have preferre