by Lynn Sholes
The General Secretary sat up, working to move his limbs.
Beside him lay a haggard and weak-looking Colonel Ivanov.
Slowly, everyone struggled to their feet. Like dreamers awakening from a long sleep, they made their way to the windows. The water was as flat as slate, and the sky devoid of clouds. The sun had just emerged over the horizon, its golden orb ablaze on the surface of the sea.
Everyone turned at the sound of the metal latch clinking as the door to the bridge opened.
BLOCKADE
Cotten entered the bridge of thePitcairn, followed by a number of men in military uniform. She scanned the control center of the research vessel, then gazed at each of the living and the dead. Her friends stood around with dazed and confused expressions. Victor, the white-haired grandfatherly man with thick glasses and crooked teeth, was still at the helm, but his white knuckles revealed that he held the wheel with a death grip. Krystof, the skinny little man with sad eyes and a perpetual growth of stubble, sat in the corner holding his head in his hands. The overweight Alexei leaned against the back wall, staring at the ceiling. And Colonel Ivanov still kept his pistol aimed at the Korean leader who was sitting beside the interpreter, her body prone on the floor.
As they all finally focused on Cotten, she said, "This is United States Navy Commander Walter J. Phillips, captain of the missile frigate, USSRobert G. Bradley
As her words seemed to bring them back to reality, everyone looked from Cotten to the officer and the other men who now entered the bridge. There was a mixture of naval personnel and armed U.S. Marines. Behind them came medics who went to each person, checking for injuries. All the survivors had been bumped around enough during the mysterious assault on the ship that they bore cuts and bruises.
Commander Phillips walked over to the interpreter and said, "Inform the General Secretary that he is in no danger. He is temporarily in my custody and
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under my protection."
She translated Phillips' words. The Korean leader rose to his feet and stood straight and proper, obviously trying to maintain his dignity.
"My God," Colonel Ivanov said. He had wandered over to the windows overlooking the port side of the ship.
"Sweet Jesus," Krystof said, joining him.
The interpreter, who was now standing, also went to the window and gasped, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.
Stretching across the bright horizon were more than thirty warships, many bearing the flag of the United States, but others flying the colors of the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. The Bradley lay closest, perhaps a few hundred yards away. The others, ranging from destroyers, frigates, supply ships, and missile cruisers, lay scattered across the water beyond, with helicopters circling overhead. A number of motor launches shuttled between the Pitcairn and the other ships.
"Where are we?" Ivanov asked.
"Approximately one hundred kilometers off the west coast of North Korea," Phillips said.
"How could we have come so far?" Alexei asked. "And how did you find us?"
The interpreter translated their questions to the General Secretary.
"We came upon thePitcairn just before dawn," Phillips said. "Your ship was powerless and adrift. How you got here we have no clue."
The Korean leader spoke and the woman translated, "Why are all these warships here?"
Phillips gave the General Secretary a stern look. "There are over 150
United States and allied warships off the east and west coasts of your country, about to put into place a total naval blockade. This is in response to the biological attack you have launched on our countries. Yesterday, President Brennan, the United States Congress, and the governments of our allies authorized the blockade. I fully expect that the Congress will enact a declaration of war against North Korea within the next forty-eight hours. And before noon today, the Secretary of Defense and the Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom will be arriving here to inform you of the terms of surrender."
The woman translated the message. Cotten watched the General Secretary's face turn red. It was obvious he didn't like what he heard.
Through clenched teeth, he spoke in a rapid pace to his interpreter. She said, "This is preposterous. I will not surrender to you or anyone. The charges you have made are unfounded and without merit. I demand to be released immediately."
Cotten stepped forward to give him even worse news, details Commander Phillips had told her a few moments earlier after he landed on thePitcairn's helo pad. "Tell your Dear Leader that Dr. Chung's attempt to send the final launch commands was intercepted and blocked. There will be no further Black Needles
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attacks. And the combination of medications that were used to halt the advance of the viral infection on Cardinal Tyler are now being adapted and used in hospitals throughout the world to stop and reverse the effects of the disease. Your grand plan to attack us and our friends is over. I would suggest you start to consider how quickly you will accept the unconditional terms of your surrender. Commander Phillips has assured me that the alternative will not be pleasant for you or the future of your country."
As the interpreter relayed Cotten's words, the Korean leader became noticeably deflated. Slowly, he moved to the big chair he had so recently filled with pomp and bluster, and dropped into it with the weight of dejection and gloom.
"Not taking news well," Colonel Ivanov said. "Big shot becomes little prick."
"That about sums it up," Cotten said as she turned and left the bridge of thePitcairn for the last time.
FALLEN
As she drove from her hotel to the Georgetown University Medical Center, Cotten rehearsed what she would say to John. She knew she would have to tell him everything. But as much as she longed to see him, she dreaded revealing what she had done to save his life.
Now she waited beside the nurse's station for several minutes before having the courage to go down the hall and into John's room. Finally, gripping a handful of red carnations, she went to his door. After acknowledging the young Venatori agent nearby, Cotten knocked.
"Come in," John said. He stood by a window dressed in his robe, pajamas, and slippers. As he turned around, a smile spread across his face when he saw her standing in the doorway.
At first, she was shocked, fully expecting him to still be in bed hooked to tubes and monitoring devices. She finally smiled back, realizing that his rapid recovery was even more impressive than Ted had described.
A curious look came over him when she didn't move. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing." She went to him, slipped her arms around his waist, and held him tightly.
He hugged her back.
"It's truly a miracle seeing you like this. The last time I was here... well, you look so much better now." She released him and placed the flowers on the narrow table stretching over his bed that still held the tray from breakfast.
"They're beautiful," John said. "I'll see if the nurse can find a vase."
"I thought red would be nice. Still too wintry for yellow. And red is
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appropriate for a cardinal, don't you think?"
"Absolutely."
Cotten glanced at a copy of the newspaper lying at the foot of his bed. The headlines read:North Korean leader agrees to peace terms, turns over Black Needles mastermind to International Criminal Court. A second story covered the death of the pope. "I'm sorry to hear about the pontiff."
"He's finally at rest. He put up a long courageous fight, but the cancer finally won."
"I'm sure the Vatican is anxious to get you back."
"They've requested I return as soon as the doctors release me."
"Have you heard anything more about what will happen to Dr. Chung?"
"Archbishop Montiagro was here earlier with the news about the Holy Father. He mentioned that Dr. Chung will be charged with crimes against humanity. No doubt she'll spend the rest of her life in prison. Given her deteriorating health, that might not be to
o long." John pointed to two chairs, and they both sat. "Okay, Cotten, what's on your mind? I can tell you want to say something, but can't quite get it out."
She scooted her chair close enough to reach out and take his hand in hers. "You know me so well."
"And you know that you can tell me anything."
She could tell him anything, but this was going to be the hardest of all. Every word she had rehearsed fled her mind. Leaning back in the chair, she took a deep breath. "The last time I was here, you weren't conscious. The doctors believed you were dying, and I blamed myself for that."
"Cotten—"
"No, it's true. Just listen. This is hard enough. Let me get through it."
"Okay."
"I was angry—angry with myself, with the world, with God. Right outside this hospital I cursed Him and everything around me. I cried out for help. Moments later, my cries were answered, but not from God. I had a visit from someone you know well, the Son of the Dawn. He reminded me of my legacy and who I am."
John sighed and shook his head.
"He told me that if I would give in to my heritage and embrace the person I really am, your life would be spared. John, that's all I wanted—just to have you live. I had brought you so much trouble and suffering over the years. I realized that it was finally enough. He was right about who I really am. And because of that, I had the power to save your life. So, I agreed."
She searched John's eyes for a reaction, for disgust or rejection. But she saw none of that, and her heart lifted.
"It was arranged for me to go to North Korea—to protect me from the risk of being infected by the Black Needles attacks. He also wanted to exploit my reputation as a journalist. I was to conduct an interview with the Communist leader. The interview was designed to glorify the General Secretary and help set
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him up in a place of power once his enemies started falling from the plague."
Once Cotten started, the rest of the story flowed out until she finally finished with the miraculous escape of thePitcairn and how President Brennan had taken John's words to heart, admitted the possible threat, and called for a coalition of nations to form a naval blockade in preparation for a possible invasion. A multi-nation military exercise in the region helped get the warships into position within a few days of Cotten's arrival in North Korea.
"You've been—"
Cotten held her hand up. "There's more. Look at me. Look hard. You see before you a person who essentially sold her soul. And, John, here is the most frightening part of all. It was easy. So very easy. His argument made sense—all he asked was that I love myself. He told me that it isn't wrong to be strong, and happy, and prosperous. He said God wants us to always turn the other cheek, give and not receive, to depend on him for even our tiniest seconds of happiness."
"But—"
"I know, I know. You've told me before. He is a liar. I know that now. But I want you to understand why it could be so easy to give in. He said to me that his way doesn't mean I have to become a bad person. Simply love myself and enjoy the pleasures of the world. Such things are not here so that I can deny myself. Do you see how that could make someone feel?" She didn't expect John to answer. "It made me think about a lot of things I hadn't before. Like there is no hierarchy to the Ten Commandments. God doesn't separate Thou shalt not bear false witness from Thou shalt not kill. One is no more acceptable than the other. So how many times a day do we all slip over that line, say a tiny lie, covet something, or simply put ourselves first? In those moments, within some of those minute-by-minute decisions we make every day, are we surrendering to the Darkness like I did? Do we so easily slip in and out without thinking about it?
And when we do cross that invisible line, do we become like him?"
"Fallen?"
ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE
"None of us are without sin." John paused while a nurse came in to take his vitals. Once she had left, he continued, "We are imperfect beings, Cotten. God doesn't expect us to be perfect."
She closed her eyes. "Sins of the father..." she whispered, then looked up.
"What about me? I made a bargain knowing full well what it meant. It wasn't just telling a little white lie or stealing an apple from the fruit stand."
John shook his head. "Like you said, there is no hierarchy. And did you really go through with it? No, you fought it, drove the Darkness back. You
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couldn't do it."
"But I would have if I had to. I was willing to do anything to save your life. Anything."
"And for that and everything else you've done for me, I can never repay you." This time, it was John who reached to take her hand. "What you've just gone through is all behind you now. It's over. There's no need for us to talk about it ever again." He rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb. "It's part of the past. Okay?"
Cotten sandwiched his hand between hers. "Okay."
"So tell me more about how you got our old KGB buddies involved?"
"I didn't really know what it would be like or what would happen to me once I..."
"Once you made the deal and agreed to his terms?"
"Right. So I realized I had to make all the arrangements I could before I left for North Korea. I discussed many ideas with Ted, none of which we could predict would be possible once I was there. I knew that if there was a chance of success, and you were safe, I would try to plan some way to turn the tables. But to do it, I would need a way to escape. I also knew I had to have help, and once inside that country, chances would be slim of getting any. The Fallen's first mistake was to tell me before leaving that I would be interviewing the Communist leader, and that it would take place aboard thePitcairn. And the only reason anybody knew that was because the General Secretary was making such a big deal about the one-year anniversary of the Pitcairn's capture, and he wanted to flaunt it. He's the one who insisted the interview take place on the ship. But who was going to help me? Certainly not anyone from the United States. We already knew that, for whatever reason, the President had downplayed the whole thing—something I still don't understand. Then it occurred to me that people from other countries, especially non-Western countries and those who still have ties with North Korea, are allowed to visit there as tourists. I told Ted to get in touch with the colonel to try to work out the details of a plan. After all, they had offered to help me anytime I needed. I knew that once I was over there, I'd be shut off from the rest of the world. As it turned out, Colonel Ivanov and his buddies easily entered the country as tourists. But until the moment the colonel walked onboard the ship with Dr. Chung, I was never 100 percent sure they could pull it off."
"You're amazing," John said.
Cotten smiled. "Thanks." She looked toward the window, deep in thought. The hard part was about to come, and she needed all the courage she could marshal.
Finally, she said, "I've made some decisions since getting back. This whole experience has had a profound impact on me. I have so many questions and very few answers. John, I need time to rethink my life." She breathed out a big sigh. "It's no secret how I feel about you. I tried to ignore the reality of what our relationship was, is, and could be. But I've come to terms with the fact that we
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can never be more than dear friends."
Cotten felt John's hand slip from between hers. At first she thought he was offended in some way, but then she felt his hand close around hers.
"There are many things," John said, "that would be worse than being dear friends. And you know how I feel. Everything you're saying is completely understandable, including the wanting to get away and rethink your future. We've been through a lot together. Despite our own personal feelings, we have chosen paths in life that are not destined to come together."
Reality settled into her heart and she felt profoundly sad. "How many times have we said that maybe in another time, another place, things might have been different? But not in this lifetime. There's nothing I can do to change that, nor can you
. You are destined for great things, John. And what lies ahead for me is as much a mystery as ever. Even though I've been the cause of so much trouble for you, I haven't been able to let you go. That's not fair to you." Her face scrunched as she blinked back tears. "Talk about crossing that line on a daily basis and putting yourself first. I'm the poster child."
She choked up and had to wait a moment before she could get her voice back. "I have to stop. Enough is enough. And the only way I can get my head together is to take a break—a long break. I don't mean just from you, I mean from my job, my life, the rest of the world."
"If that's what you think it will take, Cotten," John said. "You've been through more than anyone I've ever known. Perhaps it will give you a chance to find yourself, but more importantly, find your relationship with God. Remember, he's always there waiting for you."
