When the Killing Starts (The Blackwell Files Book 8)

by Steven F Freeman

  “President Kim is your cousin, huh?”

  The scientist positively beamed. “Indeed he is.”

  “You must be Tong Shin, right? Chief scientist at Korea Chemicals Corp?”

  Mild surprise flitted across the Korean’s face. “Very good. You give me hope you’ll actually understand the nature of my project here.”

  “Why don’t we test that theory?” said Alton.

  Tong dropped into an overstuffed leather chair behind his desk and waved Alton to a rigid, plastic one in front of it. He folded his hands in front of him. “Do you know what a heliostat is?”

  “It’s some kind of component used in solar power, isn’t it?”

  “The reflecting mirror, to be exact.”

  Alton turned and looked towards the lab floor, then returned his gaze to Tong with questioning eyebrows. And…?

  “Our planet has vast petroleum reserves, but eventually those supplies will be exhausted.”

  “Aren’t the reserves expected to last a couple hundred years?”

  “Yes, but they will run out. And as that time nears, the price of petroleum will skyrocket.”

  “What does that have to do with your illegal attack against South Korea?”

  Tong barked out a harsh laugh. “The American who illegally entered my country lectures me about an illegal attack.”

  “I wouldn’t be here if your team hadn’t entered the South first.”

  “You can’t prove that. That’s the beauty of this plan.”

  “Which is…?”

  Tong refolded his hands. “The only reason petroleum remains the fuel of choice today is because no cheaper alternatives exist.”

  “I’ve heard all the green energy arguments before.”

  “But this is different—vastly different. Come with me, Mr. Blackwell.”

  They exited Tong’s office and set off down a narrow, concrete corridor separating the administrative offices from the laboratory floor.

  “Watch him,” said the scientist to the four accompanying guards.

  Tong set a leisurely pace, taking a fatherly pride in the lab’s quiet yet steady flow of activity. “For the last six years, the South Korean government and Yeol Corp., one of South Korea’s largest multinational corporations, have been working together on a top-secret project to develop a superior form of sustainable energy.”

  “If it was so top secret, how’d you find out about it?”

  “Money, Mr. Blackwell. Once my mole got wind of a project in the works, it was just a matter of time before I found an insider desperate for cash.”

  Alton shook his head in disgust.

  “This secret project…,” continued Tong. “It isn’t about improving gas mileage in cars or developing better ways to plug holes in drafty attics. It’s a paradigm shift in the energy industry.”

  Alton hoped the activated phone in his thermal underwear, which the guards had missed when patting him down, was picking up all this.

  “The shift has to do with solar power?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re wildly optimistic,” said Alton, “I’ve heard a lot of talk about solar power, but that energy source is expensive and bulky. And even if it weren’t, it would take decades for the world to switch over to a whole new fuel source. There’s too much money invested in the oil industry to just abandon it.”

  “Do you know,” said Tong, hands behind his back, “that’s exactly what Thomas Edison, the inventor of the movie projector himself, said about talking movies? He predicted no one would switch to ‘talkies,’ as they called them, because so much money had been invested in silent-movie technology.

  “But the new technology was so superior, it obliterated the old silent movies in a few short years. Consumers demanded the change once they saw how good the new movies were. The same thing happens any time a superior technology displaces an old one. Take movie theaters as an example again. When stadium seating was introduced, any theater that didn’t switch to it quickly went out of business. Again, once consumers saw the new alternative, they never looked back. And here’s the key lesson: the better the new technology, the quicker the old one fades.”

  Tong stopped to watch a worker dressed in an electricity-diffusing smock remove a dark sheet of circuit board from a spotless box and position it on a laser-cutting machine. A bright light flicked on, and a robotic arm’s hydraulic motor whined as it guided a laser torch across the board’s electronic circuitry.

  Tong moved on. “The introduction of petroleum as a fuel source a hundred years ago resulted in a seismic shift to the world economy. Horses and buggies were out. Oil and automobiles were in. The world is on the cusp of experiencing another such shift, and my country will be the prime beneficiary of this change.”

  CHAPTER 60

  “Big words,” said Alton, “but hard to back up.” He had to keep the scientist talking.

  Tong laughed. “You won’t say that in fifteen minutes. Remember that joint project I mentioned a minute ago—the one the South Korean government is working on with Yeol Corp? Well, they were working on sustainable energy, one based on solar power but with a disruptive new technology to exploit it.”

  “Heat Wave was part of Yeol Corp, wasn’t it?”

  “Very good, Mr. Blackwell. Indeed it was. Heat Wave was a front, a cutting-edge research complex disguised as an insignificant think tank. It wasn’t disguised enough. Eventually, we learned of its existence. And I realized the full importance of its work before they could commercialize their research.”

  Alton remained silent. David’s hide-in-plain-sight theory had proved to be correct.

  Tong strolled past a machine punching squares of aluminum roughly six inches on each side. The machine ejected the squares onto a conveyor belt, where another robotic arm whisked them into a clamp and beveled their edges.

  Time to work on Tong’s pride. “This is somewhat impressive,” said Alton, glancing at the lab floor, “but it doesn’t really prove anything.”

  “Not to you. You’re not a scientist. Let me explain this in a way you’ll understand. Think about the advance of computers. Equipment that used to fill a library shrank to a desktop unit, then a laptop. Now it exists in your cellphone. Before long, it will fit inside a human cell. What’s the common theme?”

  Alton didn’t answer. He’d learn more by encouraging Tong to keep bragging.

  “Miniaturization, of course!” said Tong. “You work in the tech field, Mr. Blackwell. You must know all about the importance of miniaturization to technological advances.”

  Alton’s skin crawled. Did Tong know about the Blackwells’ miniaturized computer-memory case in Italy the year before last? If so, the man’s dossier on Alton was indeed thorough.

  Tong halted. “See those printed-circuit boards over there? In a few months, they’ll represent the next step in our planet’s energy production: a whole new breed of solar technology. Everything is redesigned—the mixture of materials on the heliostats, the antireflective coating on the photoelectric cells, the process used to collect both voltage and current. And the crown jewel is the receptor; it more closely mimics natural photosynthesis and gathers twenty times the sunlight of existing solar cells. Put all the elements together, and these new cells will absorb ninety percent of incoming sunlight, multiple times that of existing solar panels. And the new panels have been shrunk to one-tenth the size of existing solar technology, making them much more practical. Best of all, they can be manufactured at a cost low enough to undercut oil by a significant margin. And it’s all thanks to the files we retrieved from the servers at Heat Wave. In half a year, we’ll modify our production equipment according to the Heat Wave research and begin full-scale production.”

  Tong reached the end of the lab, turned, and began to retrace his steps along the corridor. Alton followed.

  “So the plot to steal nuclear material from Olchin was just a decoy, pure and simple?” asked Alton.

  “Yes.”

  “But North Korea has been pu
rsuing nuclear power for decades. Why abandon it now when you literally had fissionable material in your hands?”

  Tong hesitated a moment before answering. “What would happen to my country once the west learns we have the material needed to construct nuclear weapons?”

  Alton didn’t speak.

  “You know the answer,” said Tong. “They would attack us. The only question is whether they would use nuclear weapons themselves or send in conventional forces. I cannot see how this benefits my country.”

  “So Kim decided on a different route?”

  “With a little…or should I say quite a bit…of convincing from me.”

  “I’m surprised anyone could convince him to give up his nuclear ambitions. The guy seemed insanely intent on acquiring them.”

  Tong cast nervous glances over both shoulders. “I must ask you not to speak disrespectfully of our revered president.” When the guards’ expressions didn’t change, he relaxed a bit. “Once President Kim understood the long-term benefits of the new solar technology, he agreed that acquiring it should be our top priority—more important than seeking a potentially dangerous nuclear arsenal.”

  As the pain in his leg grew worse, Alton fell behind, prompting Tong to slow his pace.

  “I don’t get it,” said Alton. “I understand that greenhouse gasses are bad and all that, but why does North Korea care so much about that when its citizens are starving?”

  “Who said anything about greenhouse gasses? I’ll be dead and buried before the worst impact of global warming occurs. No, this is about a different sort of power, Mr. Blackwell. A different sort of power altogether.”

  CHAPTER 61

  Lagging behind the others in the corridor, Alton retrieved the cellphone trapped in the elastic of his thermal underwear and slipped it into his palm. He scanned ahead. The bookshelf adjacent to the office door would do nicely.

  Turning the corner into Tong’s office, Alton made a point to falter on his bad leg and stumble into the packed bookshelf—not that much acting was required to make a show of leg pain. His flailing left arm entered a gap between two bulging notebooks.

  In that moment, he released his still-activated cellphone into the gap and prayed shadows would obscure the device. Looking to confirm the phone’s placement would draw unwanted attention, so he withdraw his arm without glancing back and limped towards the plastic chair.

  “You said this technology represents a new kind of power,” said Alton. “What did you mean?”

  “Don’t you know?” said Tong with a snort of derision.

  “I can imagine all sorts of possibilities. Why don’t you enlighten me?”

  Tong leaned back in his plush chair. “For years, my country has been fighting an economic war, not a military one. This solar panel technology represents incalculable wealth for its owner. It will revolutionize the energy industry—where energy is sourced, how it’s used, what raw materials are needed. Once it’s available, the balance of economic power will shift from oil-producing nations to North Korea. This is my country’s chance to rise from poverty and take our place among first-world nations.”

  “Really? All that from better solar power?”

  “You’re skeptical. That’s good—very scientific. But remember the example of talking movies? It seems obvious to us now, a century later, that ‘talkies’ would replace silent movies. But at the time, the shift caught movie producers by surprise. The same thing will happen in today’s energy sector. If you’re a consumer, and you can buy a solar car for a slightly higher price but avoid years of purchasing gas, what would you do? Or suppose you’re a manufacturer paying hundreds of thousands a year in fossil-fuel costs to run your plant. Switching to these new solar panels will be, as you Americans say, a no-brainer.”

  Tong’s eyes took on a faraway look. “The economic impact of this cannot be overstated. With the first real competition to oil in a hundred years, the prices of petroleum will plummet. And consumers will benefit. Not only will the price of energy drop, but the cost of products that use petroleum—tires, plastics, cosmetics, the asphalt used in roads—will all fall as worldwide demand for petroleum shrinks.” He leaned forward and captured Alton in an intense gaze. “You asked if this will really shift world economic power. Let me answer your question with one of my own: what do you think will happen to the economies of the countries that depend on the high price of oil? We’ve already seen what thirty dollars per barrel can do. What do you think will happen when oil prices hit five dollars a barrel?”

  “C’mon,” said Alton. “Five? How is that even possible?”

  “Basic supply and demand. You come from a capitalist economy. This should be second nature to you. Three quarters of the world’s drilled petroleum is used to produce fuels. When that market disappears in favor of solar energy, most of the worldwide demand for oil will also disappear. The price of oil will plummet, as will the economies of the OPEC nations, Russia, and the United States. My country and China will emerge as the new world economic superpowers. North Korea will produce the green technology; China will use it to produce goods at prices no other country can match.”

  Alton didn’t point out the irony of Tong setting up shop inside a North Korean army camp dedicated to the distribution of fossil fuels to military vehicles. “I think you’re overestimating the impact of oil, at least to the U.S.,” he decided to say instead. “That’s not the only part of our economy.”

  “Actually, I’m not. Think like a scientist, not a patriot. How many U.S. companies derive their revenue from the oil industry? Not just the gasoline producers and drilling-equipment manufacturers but the automobile industry, which depends on gas-powered engines. In other parts of the world, the loss of oil revenue is worse. Where do most Middle Eastern countries derive their wealth? Oil, of course. Without it, their economies will shrink back to their pre-oil, nomadic days.”

  It was Alton’s turn to lean back in his chair, mostly to afford him the chance to stretch out his bad leg. “Assuming that you’ve accurately represented the capabilities of these new solar panels, how does that help North Korea in the long run? You said the South has been working to develop them for six years. What’s to stop them from finishing their research and selling their techniques to the rest of the world to compete with your solar panels? Won’t that drive the cost of the panels down?”

  Tong cast a sidelong glance at Alton. “How many scientists did you find alive at Heat Wave?”

  “None.”

  “Exactly. The Southerners made a tactical mistake. They understood the enormous value of their research and vowed to keep it secret. To do so, they gathered all their scientists at the Heat Wave site and didn’t allow research by anyone not located there. All the minds capable of continuing this research have been eliminated. And the South was miles ahead of any other country in developing this new technology.”

  “So you’re not above killing a few hundred innocent scientists to ensure you’re the only ones with this new manufacturing technique?”

  “Spare me the moral lecture, Mr. Blackwell. How many thousands of innocent civilians have died in the Middle East to ensure the ongoing flow of your precious oil? The deaths at Heat Wave are a drop in the bucket by comparison.

  “And thanks to those deaths, my country will be the only one capable of producing next-generation solar panels for many, many years. By the time other countries reverse-engineer the manufacturing process, we will have already scaled up and created a global monopoly. We’ll be the Google of efficient solar manufacturing, able to undercut the competition on price and drive them out of the market.” He cracked a smile. “The west’s economic stranglehold on the rest of the world is about to end.”

  Alton eyed his adversary. “I don’t suppose you’ll personally gain from all this.”

  The corners of Tong’s mouth edged up. “Our esteemed president Kim is quick to show generosity to friends of the state.”

  “In other words, you make out like a bandit.”

 
; “I don’t know that phrase, but if you mean I’ll be rich, then yes.” The faraway look in Tong’s eyes disappeared. “I’ve told you more than my own subordinates. Not that it really matters.”

  “You mean because of the ‘prison-for-many-years’ outcome you mentioned earlier?”

  “Yes…or death for spying.”

  Alton remained silent. If his teammates were planning a raid, he hoped they’d launch it soon.

  CHAPTER 62

  Mallory cocked an ear as Tong ordered his flunkies to place Alton in a cell. When the sound of Alton’s voice from the remote cellphone faded, she placed her own phone on the dashboard. “You’ve got to give Tong credit. The guy doesn’t lack ambition.”

  She twisted in her seat to face Camron. “How much political power does a guy like Tong have?”

  “A lot. He’s first cousin to the dictator. And if his statements to your husband are to be believed, he has substantial pull in the government’s inner circle.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  Camron chewed on his lower lip for a moment. “Yeah, I do. The guy’s shrewd…keeps a low profile. But when he acts or speaks, there’s something to it, not just the usual bluster.”

  “Does his pull include mustering troops from outside the fuel depot?” asked O’Neil. “Any plan we craft for attacking that place has to take that possibility into account.”

  “Hard to say,” said Camron. “Special operations like that are usually under the command of the Ministry of State Security, North Korea’s version of the Gestapo. The problem with diagnosing their missions is that no one really knows what their command structure is.”

  “What do you mean?” asked O’Neil.

  “Some people think this ministry has the usual command structure: a central authority that directs projects as necessary. But a lot of folks, myself included, believe it’s really just a shell, a common name given to a number of security bodies that each have their own command structure and authority. If that’s true, it’ll be tough knowing exactly which one of these security bodies, if any, would send the extra troops.”