"Mr. President Bates, let me give this some thought and I'll get back to you soonest I can. Meanwhile, if I understand you correctly, the Leaders youngest son is in Cuba at Guantanamo Bay Prison. And the daughter is in the USA. Also, you're going to try and persuade her to lead the country under the guidance of China's economic plan. In addition, you want free elections in the North and eventually both the North and South will join hands."
"Yes, that's about it Mr. President. I'll await your response, but please don't take too long. I'm afraid of the second in command General Ri, Yong ho. He's likely to assure his position as leader with an attack on South Korea and Japan."
****
The following day after her first meeting with the Dear One's daughter, Sujin was again summoned to the private clinic. The difference this time was no men were with Nancy and Sujin. Steve thought the daughter might have a loose tongue without dominant males around.
Sujin saw Sulsong sitting in the same chair as before. Sujin made eye contact as saw a little less hatred being transmitted this time around. However, Rocky was on the alert with his ears at attention sitting by his master's side staring at Sulsong.
They sat that way for a full minute before Sulsong said, "Okay I believe you that my father is dead. His health is or was not good. Now as to my younger brother Jongun. My father chose him over the rest of the sons because he was less of a deadbeat that they were or are. I see you raise an eyebrow over me using the word 'deadbeat'. I've studied English since I was old enough to speak. I'm prepared to listen to what you want specifically from me. Let me say this, it would be very difficult to rid North Korea of its power military second in command General Ri. If you were to send me back to run the country, I'd disappear in a flash. If you want a new administration in North Korea you must eliminate him."
"If that's the case Sulsong, do you have any suggestions how we might accomplish the elimination of the general you mention," said Sujin.
Let me think about that for awhile. I do have a few contacts and I'm not without a little power in North Korea."
"Send a message like before and thank you. One more thing. Do you think it would behoove us to send your father back home for burial?"
"No. That would only be used as propaganda for revenge. Please keep him in cold storage until a later time. I know that sounds harsh, but dead is dead. We're used to it in the North. Let me say this, my father was not a bad man. To maintain control of his country, he had to endorse the all powerful military. To miss a step meant his demise. Anyway, you've stirred a bucket of you know what. Now you have to live with the results."
"Did you know your father was going to unleash nuclear missiles on Japan and South Korea at the same time this spring?"
Sulsong sat up so quick the guards started forward. Her mouth flew open and blurted out, "He was going to do what? Are you saying he was going to go nuclear against Japan and South Korea? Are you crazy? He would do no such thing. That's suicide."
She sat back thinking. Sujin let her think. Patience was an Asian virtue. Sujin saw a small grin come upon her face. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place. It was no bluff, but go out in style and go down in history as the man who started World War III.
Sujin saw her come to the same conclusion as everyone else did. She really needed to tell Steve that General Ri needed silencing before he followed orders. Park was their best bet at this point. Or a precision strike. Never mind, she thought, let some else deal with it.
They got up and left her sitting there with the same smile on her face.
Chapter 14
Brad woke up when it was still light out. He dug out the last of his energy pills and swallowed them dry. Water is what he really needed and hunger could be dealt with later. Noting that all was quiet out and a heavier smoke was exiting the side of the old mud house, Brad silently found a container with semi-frozen water in it. He filled up his flask, dropped a purification pill in it, shook it up, and drank it down. He did it two more times and then left a 100 Yuan note under the can. Brad, as darkness came, headed east again. The idea of food was easily understood in a country where food at the best of times is hard to come by. Brad forgot about food.
One thing that was nice, the wind was blowing at his back as he slowly jogged across the rice fields. His shoulder was much better and the headaches were gone.
A dim glow of lights denoting Yomju off to his left kept Brad knowing he was not so far from Cholson. One thing he noticed was that irrigation ditches were hard to see. They appeared a dark shadows while he jogged across the fields. Sometimes he could run on an old road, but crossing fields cut the distance. Usually when a farm house lurked ahead, he would go around it so as not to raise any suspicion. As he came upon not one, but two farm houses, slowly the sky was changing color as daylight approached, he slowed to a walk. A door opened and a person was highlighted in the dim light coming from the doorway. It must have had good ears, as he/she looked in his direction. Brad was squatted down, but realized when he saw a half moon behind him, his dark bulk must have stood out as strange in an otherwise empty rice field.
A female voice said, "Come out American. You are safe here. We know about you. Let us show you our hospitality."
Brad was shocked and wondered if he could trust her. It was evident his presence was known. He stood up and said hello in Hangeul. He had his machine pistol inside his coat ready to go down in flames if soldiers appeared out of nowhere. Brad walked up and gave a short bow with a formal greeting. He was ushered inside quickly and warmly greeted by a middle aged couple with two kids. The kids were teenagers.
The fire was stoked up and tea was poured. It wasn't long before rice was served and Brad couldn't remember when rice tasted so good. The family said nothing waiting for him to finish eating. Brad smiled and gave thanks again. He told them that indeed he was an American looking for a fishing boat to take him to South Korea. The man told him Cholson was the best place, but it was crawling with soldiers looking for him. Brad's face turned grim. The man, Mr. Song said, "I'm going to Cholson tomorrow so why don't you stay here and ride with me in my cart. I've a brother that lives there and works in the market. He will hide you and find a fishing boat for you. There are very few North Koreans that will not help you and we believe that someday, we will be rejoined with our brothers in the South."
Brad told them some of the story, but not any details. He told them to watch and listen to the news whenever possible. Changes were coming soon. After that he was nodding off and was cleverly hidden against a wall in a small room. Brad fell asleep feeling totally comfortable in a stranger's house. He was positive they would be rewarded for turning him in. The safety he felt was rewarded by the integrity of the North Koreans.
****
Park had befriended a fisherman who had come in with the high tide. He asks to be hired on for a small percentage of the catch. The fisherman couldn't turn down the low price for a deck hand. He was due to go out in two days time or something like that. Park could stay on board if he liked.
Park expected Brad any day now. He also expected him in the early morning hours disguised as best he could be under the circumstances. What he didn't expect was to see Brad dressed as an old man hunched over from hard work.
All that day and into the night Park kept an eye out for Brad. He worked hard cleaning the rusty old boat. Park had inspected the boat from bow to stern and up topside and down below. He found a good hiding place in a combination tool room and food storage space.
Now he would wait for the American to arrive.
****
In Pyongyang, General Ri was in conference with his staff of subservient officers. He'd surrounded himself with yes men. I've sent a message via Europe to inform the USA that a sea of fire is coming their way very soon. I also demanded the return of our Leader and family. Let's prepare for war." Ri was standing now raising his fist in the air when an underling came running down the aisle waving a paper. Breathlessly, he handed the paper to the general. Slowly, Ri put
on his reading glasses and inspected the paper. Then, as silence was observed, General Ri looked up and said: "The Americas want to negotiate. They are proposing we meet in Beijing in two weeks to discuss the return of our leader and his family."
Another runner came in waving another paper in the air. Ri grabbed it and quickly read it. He said, "This is from China's president strongly suggesting we meet the Americans in Beijing. This is not a request, but an order. I really don't like being ordered around." Not a person in the room would suggest anything to General Ri.
****
In Washington, Nancy and Sujin were talking in her office. Steve and Billy were both there. Steve said, "The president suggested we fly to Cuba and talk to the youngest son. If we could persuade him to cooperate, so much the better. We have a tracking device would could implant in his body that would pass any detection device. I think if we put the fear of God in him, he would be our man in North Korea. If he thought at anytime the planted device would render him incapacitated, he just might agree."
Nancy said, "That almost seems inhuman to me. However, being alive and not dead is a place to be. Sujin, what do you think?"
"This level of talk is over my head. If the president wants it, then I must follow his leadership. Ask him what he wants me to do. By telling me this means you want me to go there and talk to him?"
Steve said, "Yes, that is right Sujin. We're trying to arrange a meeting in China with the North Korean General Ri. It would appear that to stop the threat of nuclear war, we must somehow stop General Ri."
"What do you want to tell the son?"
"Tell him if he directs North Korea into a market economy, plays by the rules, stand the military down, give up the nuclear idea, improve the lives of its citizens, then he can rule the country until free elections are held," answered Steve.
"What about the sister," asked Sujin.
"She needs to support her brother. Also she needs to reach out to the females of North Korea and make them part of the social reforms to benefit all."
****
Brad woke up to the smell of tea and unwashed bodies. It was around noon and he would sleep again that night. Early the next morning he would ride in the man's cart powered by a water buffalo. It would take two days to reach Cholson. The man assured Brad he was safe until they reached Cholson. Word had filtered back that many troops were in and around Cholson. Brad felt his chances go down hearing the news. Finding a fishing boat and expecting the captain to hide him was a bit beyond expectations. He was finding this situation like a funnel; with him sliding into the neck and being spit out to land in a gulag.
****
In Cholson, Park felt the same as Brad: losing hope. North Korean troops were everywhere. They were stopping people asking if they'd seen or heard about any American being in the area. To a person, all said no, they hadn't seen anyone that looked like an American. Park felt they needed a break, or some luck, to pull this off.
****
General Ri was fuming mad. The representative from China had just left his new massive office with the demand he would go to China and meet the Americans. There was no way he was going anywhere out of this country. He sat back in the former Leaders arm chair and smiled thinking he would send the South Koreans a little early surprise. He called in his secretary and gave the orders for all troops to cease looking for the American and report back to their base.
The Dear One was a big fan of American movies. Consequently, General Ri was obligated to view some movies with his leader. One movie that always pleased them both was 'The Hunt for Red October'. General Ri loved the part where Sean Connery said: "One ping" and that was the message sent to the other side. General Ri forced a grim smile as he would send South Korea, One Ping.
The North Koreans took a page out of the German WW II war with a giant gun that would send a shell more than thirty miles. The North had built a railroad in the mountains just behind Kaesong. It took more than ten years to build, but the track ran for ten miles into the mountain range. However vulnerable the track was, a one shot deal would shake the hell out of the western world and South Korea would panic sending its population of ten million racing out of the city.
General Ri picked up a secure phone to the mountain base commander. He told the commander to send a 'Ping' to a Han River bridge, not caring which bridge he chose. Rush hour traffic would be a good time to do it.
Indeed, South Korea and the rest of the world were severely shocked the next day and angry when a shell landed in the middle of a bridge causing many deaths. Emergency meeting were called around the globe.
****
Sujin was aboard a USAF marked passenger jet. Nancy, Steve, Billy and Rocky, along with some black suited gentlemen filled up the small jet. Flight time was around four hours. Upon landing, all felt the tropic climate in Cuba refreshing from a January winter in Washington.
A van met the party and of course, Billy was last in due to his smoking habit. Sujin just smiled and Rocky pushed him along. Soon they were sitting in an office of the commander and he told them, his new inmate was not adjusting to well with the change in environment. Steve responded by telling him they would like to see the inmate soonest as he had just gotten word of a shell from North Korea taking out a bridge across the Han River in Seoul.
The commander understood and soon they had Kim, Jong un in a small sterile room. He was being treated like the other inmates dressed in red coveralls. His baby face and eyes of wonderment greeted Sujin. A period of silence occurred and then Sujin said, "Mr. Kim, I've not a lot of time and I realize you have many questions. Let me be brief here and say: You are our prisoner. Your father died of a stroke shortly after we took control of your train. The only other member of your family is your sister being held by us in a secure location. Presently your country is being run by General Ri.
Some background Mr. Kim. Your father had planned a preemptive strike with nuclear war heads on Japan and South Korea early this spring. We're you aware of that plan?"
The son of the Dear One was looking at all of them and especially wary of Rocky. I want to see my father. Why should I believe you?"
"Because why would we lie about that event. We're wasting time and on a further note, you country just bombed Seoul with a large artillery shell. Now you have ten minutes to start talking or you'll stay here for the rest of your natural life."
Sujin would say later she had never talked to anyone like that before in her life. However, Steve told her what to say and how to phrase the statement. There simply was no time to debate or play games at the point in time.
Jongun said, "I don't like the idea I might live here forever. What do I have to do to get out of here?"
Steve took over and spoke slowly. He told him that they would send him and his sister back home if they followed some simply rules. Steve went on to inform him of the rules and how he would be monitored. Steve let him digest that information and saw his face lose its color. Koreans hate to make snap decisions and this was not the time for Jongun to think about much except to save his own skin.
Jongun said, "I'm not sure I can control General Ri. He's been with my father forever. If it's true that my father is dead, General Ri will follow what my father ordered. No, I didn't know about any attack with nuclear weapons on South Korea and Japan. That would be suicide. I'm for building our economy up not make war. China would not support us if we went to war against South Korea and Japan."
"Well, there you have it Jongun. This is your opportunity to do something good for your country. We're not sorry your father is gone, but sorry to hear about the general. I don't know if you've ever killed a man, but now might be a good time to do away with a tyrant. If you can't do it I think your sister can. Are you ready to make a decision?"
"I see very little choice here. Tell me about this device you'll implant in me."
Nancy spoke up taking the nod from Steve, "It's a simple procedure with only a band aid to cover the slight incision. To tamper with it will lead to a lethal dose
of poison into your blood stream. Also a GPS transponder is included to let us keep track of where you are in the world."
After a few minutes of thinking, Jongun, youngest son of the Dear Leader, agreed to terms. In no time they were flying back to Washington. The president wanted them in a special meeting soonest they returned.
****
Brad felt quietly pleased with the hospitality of the North Koreans. After a long day riding in a cart, dressed in old clothes with a hood on to cover his blond hair, they bounced down the road to his friend's house. After a sparingly dinner of rice and old potatoes, they bedded down for the night.
The next morning, Brad offered his thanks to the friend's hospitality and by early afternoon they were in Cholson. Military troops were roving the streets being called to task by officers. Brad's heart sunk. There was no way he could sneak out of this port undetected. His friend pulled his cart around to the back of the market. The market was abuzz with rumors. Brad heard that the soldiers' had been recalled back to Pyongyang.
'Dear One' Breathes Fire Page 9
