The Korean Gambit

by Charles DeMaris

  ‘Best not to poke that bear,’ he thought to himself as he pored over the specifications for next week’s launch. He was so deep in thought he didn’t notice the courier until the young man was standing a foot away from his desk.

  “Excuse me sir, package for you. Your eyes only,” the courier said.

  “Oh…pardon me. I didn’t see you come in. Do I need to sign for it?”

  “Yes, please.”

  He signed his name and took the parcel, but waited until the courier left to open it. There was a formal letter and what looked like a small computer chip. He set the chip aside and read the letter, then read it again. He folded the letter with trembling hands and locked it in a safe under his desk, before looking at the chip that was in the package. It looked like a standard guidance module, but there was something different about it.

  This was obviously more than saber rattling. The letter was straight from the top, so there could be no denying the orders. He would meet Kang Hyun-Woo tomorrow morning and they would install the warhead and the new chip. Everything else about the launch would proceed as originally planned.

  Kang Hyun-Woo didn’t give a second thought to why he was transporting a five- megaton warhead to Tonghae. He would meet Mok Konu, make sure the warhead was secure, and head back to Yongbyon and resume his duties, trying not to think too much about whatever the Supreme Leader had up his sleeve.

  “Come in, Pavel,” Yuriy said in answer to the knock on his study door.

  Pavel walked straight in and sat in the wing chair next to Yuriy. The chairs were sitting close to a fireplace where Yuriy had a roaring fire going.

  “Get you a refill?” Pavel asked, motioning to the empty glass in Yuriy’s hand.

  “Yes, please.”

  “What are you having. The Scotch?”

  “Yes, I don’t have to stick to pretenses with you. Pour yourself a glass if you want.”

  Pavel came back a moment later with two glasses, handed one to Yuriy, and settled into his chair.

  “Not really cold enough for the fire.”

  “It relaxes me, and the warmth is good for these old bones.”

  “We’re all in need of some relaxation.”

  “I know you didn’t come in here just to sit by my fire and drink my Scotch. I assume things are still on schedule?”

  “The Koreans have been given their orders and they suspect nothing.”

  “How about their leader? What if one of them asks questions?”

  “You know as well as I do that people don’t stay alive by asking questions there. They will do as they’re told and they won’t say a word.”

  “Like it used to be here, no?”

  “Mostly, but they’ve perfected it to a level we never saw here.”

  “You’re sure you will have full control of the missile?”

  “It’s the same chip we used in the cars. I will have control as soon as it launches, but the flight path has already been programmed into the chip. I will be able to take control if I need to, but I shouldn’t need to.”

  “And the warhead?”

  “Five megatons, plenty big enough.”

  “How about the cargo plane? Any luck finding it?”

  “I’ve alerted our agents in America, but we don’t know where in the country they’re headed. I’m searching filed flight plans out of Sweden, but nothing has turned up yet. Any flight plan they filed for such a plane is probably false. I’ll let you know as soon as we have anything.”

  “Please do, and let our agents know they have my authorization to kill on sight.”

  Earl Grant and Clyde Jackson were making the now familiar trip from Harrison to Brookville in a white Ford E-350 that had seen better days. Earl had purchased the van ten years ago to haul auto parts, but they now contracted out to a local courier for parts deliveries for their shop, so the old van had undergone a makeover. It now sported seats and even windows in the back, quite the change from its original cargo hauling configuration.

  “What time they due in?” Clyde asked.

  “They fueled up in England the other day. Ken said they’d be here by noon.”

  “That’s one slow old plane. Reckon they coulda walked here as fast.”

  “Ken said it’s the fastest seaplane out there with the upgrades they made.”

  “Like being the smartest dude in Congress. Don’t take much.”

  “Don’t talk like that to Ken. He loves that old plane. Has a name for it and everything.”

  “Weird name I can’t pronounce.”

  “It’s in his language. Means whale.”

  “Who names a plane whale?”

  “She’s fat and she can swim.”

  “That describes your sister, but I ain’t gonna call her a whale.”

  “Not to her face at least. She’d kick your ass. I might kick it if you call her that.”

  “You’d have fun trying.”

  “I’ve done it before.”

  “Dude, that was twenty years ago. We were just kids. I wasn’t the towering mound of muscle I am now.”

  “You still got some muscle behind that flab?”

  “It’s still in there. Ask that dude on the train.”

  “You got lucky there.”

  “Luck hell.”

  “That guy was a pro.”

  “And I was determined.”

  “Yeah…you always were. Why I’m glad you’re on my side.”

  “Shucks Earl, that’s gotta be the nicest thing you’ve said to me in ages. I think I’m gonna cry.”

  “Well, don’t get used to it.”

  “Well, Clyde, will you look at the time. We’re almost at the lake and we got darn near an hour and a half before the plane comes.”

  A couple minutes later Earl brought the van to a stop at Jarhead Bait & Tackle and he and Clyde walked in. They heard the wheelchair coming from the back room before they saw it, then a fit young man motored up behind the counter.

  “What can I help you with…why…Earl…how you doing?” the young man asked.

  “Good to see you. Jeremy. How things going with the shop?”

  “Keeping busy. Can’t complain.”

  “You talked to Thad?”

  “Couple days ago. He’s out in California. Might be back here to visit in a couple weeks.”

  “You’ll have to let me know.”

  “So, what brings you guys here? Thinking about doing some fishing? Fine day for it.”

  “That it is. Our friends are coming with the seaplane, but we got here early. You hook us up with some sandwiches and a couple poles? Make that three poles and you can join us.”

  “Don’t mind if I do. So Ken’s coming? I like him.”

  “Yeah, got a plane full. Had to get some of our guys out of a tight spot.”

  “There are some poles against the far wall by the photos. Just grab them and grab a spot on the dock. Clyde, you give me a hand with the cooler?”

  A couple minutes later they were fishing from the pier and Clyde was rummaging through the cooler.

  “Well, no beer,” he said.

  “Yeah, dummy. I’m driving back, and if I can’t have one, you can’t either. Fair’s fair,” Earl said.

  “Whatever, you want a Coke?”

  “That’ll do. What kind of sandwiches in there?”

  “Ham and swiss, or roast beef,” Jeremy said, “I’ll take a roast beef if you don’t mind.”

  Clyde passed out the sandwiches and the drinks and they settled down to fishing.

  “So, Jeremy,” Earl said, “how long were you in the Marines?”

  “Six years, until that damn IED.”

  “Where did that happen?”

  “Some village I can’t pronounce, about an hour out of Baghdad, supposed to be a routine patrol.”

  “Well…I don’t know what to say.”

  “Yeah, it’s been a few years, so I’m used to it. Nobody knows what to say. You know what’s weird? My foot still hurts sometimes, and the darn thing ain’t there.”


  “That does sound weird,” Clyde said.

  “They got a name for it, phantom pain, I think. That’s what my doctor told me. It freaked me out the first time. I mean…how in the hell should something hurt if it’s not there any longer? Hey, what’s that sound?”

  Earl heard it a few seconds later, and in a few more seconds they saw the plane approaching.

  “Wouldn’t you figure they’d be early. Fat old plane’s faster than I thought,” Clyde said.

  “Well, so much for our fishing break. I’ll get the van.”

  26

  Earl parked the van near the obstacle course and everyone watched as Omar Dalal finished and collapsed near his friends, who were lying as they fell and catching their breath.

  “Take ten, ladies, and then we’ll run the tactical course,” Brock yelled.

  The four young Arabs shot Brock a look of pure contempt mixed with admiration.

  “How are they doing?” Casey asked.

  “Don’t let them hear me say it, but quite well. They’re in excellent shape, better than a lot of recruits I had in the Corps.”

  “They’ve been out here training for a while. Maybe they just needed an extra kick in the pants.”

  “How about you and Jeff? You feel like getting your tails kicked?”

  “Give us a couple hours to debrief, and we’ll take you up on that.”

  Rachel limped up to introduce herself.

  “You the new guy Casey couldn’t shut up about?”

  “At your service,” Brock said with an exaggerated gallant bow.

  “It’s good to meet you. I’d love to join Casey and Jeff for the afternoon butt kicking, but I’m still a bit gimpy.”

  “I look forward to your speedy recovery.”

  “I bet you do. I’ll go easy on you,” Rachel said with a wink, before walking inside.

  Ken and Elijah showed Hank around and the three of them ended up in Avi’s workshop.

  “Why, if it isn’t Hank Wilcox,” Avi said getting up from his bench and coming across the room to shake Hank’s hand,” How many years has it been?”

  “Too many, old friend. You look like you’re holding up well.”

  “As well as I could be. Working with all these young pups doesn’t hurt.”

  “Still tinkering, I see. Come up with anything interesting?”

  “A few things. I’ll fill you in when we’re alone.”

  “You’re a real- life Q, it would seem.”

  “And you might have passed for 007 thirty years ago.”

  “It’s good to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

  “One needs it around here…Oh, I am so remiss. I heard about Leon. I don’t need to tell you how sorry I am.”

  “Yeah…but he went out fighting. There are worse ways to go.”

  “That there are. I assume you’re with us until we take these people down.”

  “That I am, old friend.”

  “I believe there might be some useful information on this,” Rachel said to Ahmed as she handed him the USB drive.

  Ahmed plugged it into his computer without commenting and a few seconds later let out a whistle.

  “It will take some time getting through the encryption. I’ll get the computer started on it and maybe you can get some rest.”

  “I’ll be resting in the hot tub.”

  “Is that the drive from Russia?” Miriam asked.

  “Yeah, encrypted all to hell. Might take a while. Say, you haven’t stopped smiling all day. You’ve only left the office a couple times in the last week. You slip a date in there when we weren’t looking?”

  Miriam didn’t answer, but the rising color in her cheeks was answer enough.

  “I figured. Good for you. What’s your dad think?”

  “I haven’t told him.”

  “You gotta tell him sooner or later. What’s the holdup?”

  “Chris isn’t Muslim.”

  “But your dad’s not a radical, not like half my family back home.”

  “No, but I don’t think he’d approve.”

  “So, this Chris, you love him?”

  “Little early…he’s a good guy.”

  “Where’d you meet?”

  “Would you believe at the gym?”

  “Oo, how romantic. How many dates?”

  “Just a couple. I went to church with him last night.”

  “How was that? He’s a Christian?”

  “Yeah…it was nice. The people were very friendly.”

  “I didn’t think Christians dated Muslims.”

  “Well…I’m not so sure.”

  “Not so sure? I’m pretty sure most of the Christians I know don’t date Muslims.”

  “It’s not that…I’m not sure…not sure I’m still a Muslim.”

  “I guess you haven’t told your father about that either.”

  “It would break his heart.”

  “Is this all since you met Chris?”

  “I’ve been having doubts for a while, since…you know…since my last boyfriend turned out to be a terrorist. Then I met Chris and some of the things he says make sense. I don’t know. I’ve been reading…listening to the radio and podcasts.”

  “Sounds like you’re halfway there already.”

  “Maybe…that doesn’t disappoint you?”

  “No. Maybe if I was a more serious Muslim, but you know I’m not any radical. Look around here. We work with Christians and a crazy old Jew. If I had a problem, you would have known it by now. Plus, you’re my friend, and my work partner. This doesn’t make any difference.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. Look, if you like this guy, go for it. If you think his religion is the way to go, then go for it, but it’s not something you can take lightly. You have to count the cost.”

  “Thanks Ahmed, you’re a doll. I’m going to get a bite.”

  Ahmed checked his computer. The deciphering was going to take a while. He called Jenny and she was at his desk in a couple minutes.

  “You got something?” She asked.

  “Just this drive Rachel brought. Look at the encryption.”

  “Nothing we shouldn’t be able to crack.”

  “But it’s going to take all afternoon. It has to be some pretty heavy stuff on there.”

  “You can just let me know when you have something.”

  “Just wanted to give you a heads up. Might be something big on here, something we need to act on.”

  Ahmed set his computer to alert him if anything was decrypted and went to the workout room. He had never been much of a gym rat, but he found that it was a good way to clear his head. He spent so much time in front of a computer that working out was a good change. Plus, it did help him think better when he was back at his terminal. He spent 45 minutes lifting and had completed 1000 meters in the pool when his phone chimed. He toweled off and got dressed, grabbing his phone on the way back to his desk.

  He passed Jenny’s office on the way and waved to get her attention.

  “What is it Ahmed?” She asked.

  “I think the computer has something. You want to come have a look?”

  They were at his desk in a minute and he was opening up the program to see what files had been decrypted and what they had.

  “Where’s Miriam? She was going to eat before I went to the gym,” Ahmed asked.

  “Last I saw, she was in the break room upstairs, on her cell phone, giggling like a schoolgirl and poking at her food.”

  “Chris.”

  “Chris?”

  “Yeah, Chris. Some guy she met at the gym. They’ve had a couple dates.”

  “How did she find time for dating; the way things have been around here lately?”

  “We’ve all been going home more lately, since Nathan gave us these apps to link our workstations to our phones.”

  “And she managed to squeeze in a couple dates. Good for her.”

  “Let’s see what we have so far. Looks like a few of the files are
opened.”

  “Are you sure? Everything’s in Russian.”

  “Computer’s putting translations in these folders on the left.”

  Ahmed clicked on the translated files and they read in silence.

  “You think you ought to get that information to the President?” Ahmed asked.

  “After that speech he gave the other day? Probably.”

  “I’ll put it in a tidy package for you. Give me thirty minutes.”

  “I’ll be at my desk upstairs. You find anything else interesting, let me know.”

  Miriam sat back down at her desk, sipping a cup of tea and humming absentmindedly.

  “What song is that?” Ahmed asked.

  “Huh…oh…I don’t remember. Something I heard recently.”

  “How was lunch?”

  “Lunch…was good.”

  “How’s Chris?”

  No response.

  “Never mind, you don’t have to answer that,” Ahmed said, “You’re blushing again.”

  “I…uh…do you have anything off that drive yet?”

  “I have a few files decrypted and translated. I need to get it typed into a nice brief that Jenny can send to the President.”

  “I can do that for you while you work on the rest of the files.”

  “Sure thing. I’m sending them to you right now.”

  Jenny decided instead to send the package to CIA Director Larry McCormick and let him brief the President. McCormick didn’t waste any time heading to the White House immediately. The President’s current meeting was re-scheduled and McCormick went straight into the oval office.

  “Whatcha got there Larry?”

  “Fresh intel from our friends.”

  “Are you sure they’re our friends?”

  “Have they ever been wrong on anything they’ve sent us?”