Dirk Pitt18-Black Wind
Page 15
global markets. The Sino-American threat, which has long justified the
use of our countries as pawns to the superpowers, is no more. It is
long past time that we throw off the shackles of foreign domination and
do what is right for Korea. Our destiny is as one, and we should seize
the opportunity now."
"The goal of unification beats strongly in all our hearts, but the
reckless leadership and military juggernaut of North Korea mandates
that we tread with caution," replied the third politician, a beady-eyed
man named Kim.
Kang brushed aside the comment. "As you know, I recently toured North
Korea as part of a fact-finding trip sponsored by the Ministry of
Unification. We found their economy to be in a moribund state, with
food shortages widespread and rampant. The depleted economic state has
taken a toll on the North Korean military as well. The military forces
we witnessed appeared ill-equipped and extremely low morale," he
lied.
"Yes, I can attest to their struggles," Won Ho replied. "But do really
think reunification would be a benefit to our own economy?
"The northern provinces offer an abundance of cheap labor that is
readily accessible. We would immediately become more competitive on
the world markets, as our average labor costs would diminish
substantially. I have assessed the impact to my own enterprises and
make no secret of the fact that my profits could be boosted
dramatically. In
Hdition, the northern province economies would provide a new, un-ned
consumption market that South Korean business is poised to No,
gentlemen, there is no question that unification would provide an
economic windfall to all of us in the south."
"There is still the issue of North Korea's hard-line contention in the
matter," Won Ho stated. "We cannot simply achieve reunification
unilaterally."
"Yes," Kim added. "They have repeatedly insisted that the United
States military presence be removed from our soil before reunification
can be considered."
"That is why," Kang continued calmly, "I am asking the three of you to
support the resolution recently introduced in the National Assembly
demanding the removal of all American military forces from South
Korea."
A stunned silence fell over the room as the three politicians digested
Kang's words. Kang had brought them there for a reason, they knew, but
the politicians had figured the corporate giant was seeking legislative
tax relief or some other aid to his business empire. Not one of them
expected a demand so risky to their political careers. The elder
statesman Rhee finally cleared his throat and spoke deliberately.
"That particular resolution was introduced by radical elements in the
assembly. There is little chance it would ever pass a full vote."
"There is if the three of you came on record in support of it," Kang
replied.
"That's impossible," Kim stammered. "I cannot support weakening our
military defense for the asking while North Korea continues to consign
all its resources toward boosting its military might."
"You can and you will. With the recent murder of the girl in Kun-san
City by the American serviceman, there is a firestorm of animosity
toward the American military from the mainstream populace. It is
incumbent upon you to place pressure on our president to act and act
now."
"But the American forces are essential for our security. There are
over thirty-five thousand troops stationed in our defense," Kim argued
before being cut off.
"May I remind you," Kang hissed, his face contorting into an evil
smirk, "that I have paid and negotiated your way into the position that
you hold today." The controlled rage glowed from his eyes like burning
embers.
Rhee and Won Ho slumped back in their chairs and nodded gravely,
knowing their political futures were finished if knowledge of their
graft over the years was ever released to the press. "Yes, it will be
done," Won Ho said meekly.
Kim, however, appeared oblivious to Kang's rage. Shaking his head, he
replied firmly, "I'm sorry, but I cannot support placing our country at
risk of military defeat. I will not vote in favor of the resolution."
He turned and peered at his fellow politicians with a look of scorn.
The room fell silent again for several moments before the servants
returned to clear away the dinner dishes. Kang leaned over and
whispered something into the ear of one of the servants, who quickly
paced back to the kitchen. Seconds later, a side door opened and two
hulking security guards, attired in black from head to toe, entered the
room. Without saying a word, they strode to either side of Kim's
chair, grabbed his arms, and yanked the politician roughly to his
feet.
"What is the meaning of this, Kang?" he cried.
"I will suffer your foolishness no more," Kang replied coldly. With a
wave of his hand, the two thugs muscled Kim to a veranda door that
opened onto an outside balcony. Flailing and struggling hopelessly
against the stronger men, Kim was dragged outside and to the edge of
the balcony wall, which jutted over the face of the rock cliff.
Obscenities burst from his mouth as he demanded to be let go but his
pleas were ignored. As Rhee and Won Ho looked on in horror, the two
men in black hoisted Kim up off his feet, then unceremoniously pitched
his thrashing body over the wall.
Kim's screaming voice could be heard trailing away for several seconds
as he plunged down the cliff wall. A faint thud signaled that his body
had struck the beach landing below and his screaming suddenly ceased.
Rhee and Won Ho turned ashen white as the two thugs calmly returned to
the dining hall. Kang sipped at a glass of wine, then spoke to the
security men in a nonchalant tone.
"Retrieve the body and take it to Seoul. Plant him on a street near
his residence and make it look like a hit-and-run traffic accident," he
ordered.
As they left the room, Kang turned to the frightened politicians and
asked with icy politeness, "You will stay for dessert, won't you?"
Kang peered out the dining hall window and watched as Rhee and Won Ho
anxiously boarded his yacht below. Kim's body, wrapped in brown
blanket, had been crudely dumped on the boat's stern deck and covered
with a tarp but was readily distinguishable to the two shaken men as
they climbed aboard. Observing the yacht-as it cast off and began its
fifty-mile trek upriver to Seoul, Kang turned as a man entered the room
and approached. He had a scrawny build and greased-back black hair,
with pale skin that seldom saw the light of day. His blue suit was
well worn, and his choice of tie dated, but his white shirt was
starched crisp. What Kang's administrative assistant lacked in panache
he made up for in thrift and efficiency.
"Your meeting was a success?" the man asked Kang, with a dose of
subservience.
"Yes, Kwan. Rhee and Won Ho are going to promote our initiative for
the rem
oval of U.S. forces through the National Assembly. It was
unfortunate that we had to eliminate Kim, but it was apparent that he
had lost his loyalty to us. His death will send a strong message to
the other two."
"A sensible decision. Sir, a courier from Yonan is arriving by boat this evening to receive the prototype missile guidance chip set that
has passed final test at our semiconductor facility. Do you wish also
to relay a briefing status?"
Like a foreign embassy in a hostile nation, Kang and his superiors in
North Korea relied on couriers to funnel information, technology, and
contraband out of the South. Although the Internet had become the
spy's best friend when it came to dispatching information, there was
still the need for one-on-one contact to transfer hard goods. An aged
fisherman in a beat-up sampan, easily neglected by the Navy patrols,
was the favored agent's disguise for crossing the DMZ to Kang's
estate.
"Yes, we can report that a National Assembly vote will be brought forth
on the expulsion resolution within the next several weeks, and that
progress is being made on its passage. Our organized student protests
are gaining momentum, and our media payoffs will ensure continued press
attention and coverage of the U.S. serviceman murder incident," Kang
said with a wry smile. "Our external disruption plan is proving to be
most effective. What remains to be seen is whether we can implement
the chimera project quickly enough to maximize the Americans' strife.
What is the latest from the biochemical laboratory?"
"The news is most promising. The lab team has completed their study of
the test results from the Aleutian Islands and verified that the virus
was successfully rejuvenated during flight release. In addition,
dispersion of the virus through the mock-up missile-borne vapor
mechanism covered a ground path larger than anticipated. The program
engineers are confident that the full-scale deployment system already
built will be operationally successful."
"Providing we can generate sufficient quantities of the virus. It was
most unfortunate that all but one of the canisters on the I-403
submarine was destroyed."
"An unforeseen circumstance. Since most of the recovered agent was
utilized in the Aleutian test firing, very little was left available
for
laboratory growth purposes. Dr. Sarghov at the bio lab informs me it
will take over three months to cultivate quantities necessitated by the
orogram. For this reason, we have initiated your request to attempt
recovery of the second Japanese armament stock."
"A second Japanese submarine," Kang muttered, picturing an Imperial
Japanese submersible lying torpedoed on the ocean floor. "An amazing
intelligence discovery that there was not one but two submarines
destroyed carrying such a virulent cargo. How soon before recovery
operations commence?"
"The submarine must be located first. We have the Baekje en route to
Yokohama to pick up a leased submersible that will be required for the
deep-water recovery operation. Once on-site, we expect the survey to
take approximately two days, and the entire recovery operation to be
completed within ten days."
"And Tongju?"
"He will meet up with the salvage ship in Yokohama and remain on board
to lead security operations."
"Very good," Kang said, rubbing his hands together in satisfaction.
"Things are proceeding nicely, Kwan. The domestic pressures on the
Americans will soon be very hot and the chimera project will be a sharp
kick to their sides. We must soon prepare for the coming offensive and
restoration of the country under our home flag."
"You will hold a place of high honor in the new Korea," Kwan stroked.
Kang looked again at the sweeping panorama to the north before him. The
rolling hills of his native North Korea lay just across the Han River,
stretching wide across the far horizon.
"It is time we regain our country," he muttered softly.
Kwan started to leave the room, then stopped and turned.
"Sir, there is one other item that has cropped up related to the
chimera project."
Kang nodded at his assistant to proceed.
"The helicopter that was shot down in the Aleutians was operated
by an American government research vessel from the National Un-I
derwater and Marine Agency. Our crew believed the pilot and crew :
were killed, which was initially confirmed by an Alaskan media report
of a fatal helicopter crash. However, our U.S. field operations team
monitoring the Americans' response to the test reported that the pilot,
a special projects director named Pitt, and his copilot had in fact
survived the crash."
"That is of little consequence," Kang replied irritably.
Kwan cleared his throat nervously. "Well, sir, I had our team track
the pilot upon his return to home port in Seattle. Two days after
their return, the NUMA men were seen in a small survey boat headed for
the region where the I-403 is located."
"What? That's not possible," Kang belched with sudden anger, made
visible by a large vein that throbbed on his forehead. "How would they
have any knowledge of our activities?"
"I do not understand it, either. They are undersea professionals.
Perhaps our recovery operation was witnessed by others and they were
simply monitoring the I-403 for looters. Or perhaps it is just a
coincidence. They may have been performing an engineering or
archaeological assessment."
"Perhaps. But this is no time to compromise the project. Have them
both taken care of," Kang directed.
"Yes, sir," Kwan replied, backpedaling out of the room quickly. "It
will be handled at once."
To the ancient Aztecs of central Mexico, it-was known as the "Great
Leprosy." The ghastly plague of death had appeared sometime after the
arrival of Hernando Cortes and his troops in 1518. Some believe a
rival conquistador named Narvaez, sailing from Cuba, had carried the
scourge. Whoever the carrier, the results proved horrific. When
Cortes entered Mexico City after a four-month siege against the forces
of Montezuma in 1521, he was shocked at what he found. Stacks upon
stacks of dead, decaying bodies were piled high in homes, on the
streets, everywhere the eye could see throughout the city. No
casualties of battle, the dead were all victims of disease.
No one knows the origins of Variola major, but the deadly virus, better
known as "smallpox," has left an expansive path of tragedy around the
globe. Though smallpox epidemics have been recorded in civilizations
as far back as the ancient Egyptians, history knows the disease best as
the scourge of the Americas, leaving its deadliest mark on
the highly susceptible natives of the western continents. Introduced
to the New World by the crews of Christopher Columbus, smallpox wreaked
havoc throughout the entire West Indies and virtually decimated the
original Carib Indians who greeted Columbus on his first voyage west.
The Cortes/Narvaez introduction of smallpox
into Mexico is estimated to
have killed nearly half of the three hundred thousand inhabitants
of Mexico City in 1521. Cumulative deaths throughout the country from
the highly contagious disease easily numbered in the millions. Similar
devastation transpired in South America as well. When Pizarro landed
in Peru in 1531 on his great quest for gold, the smallpox virus was
already annihilating the Inca population. With his army of less than
two hundred men, Pizarro would never have ransacked the Inca empire had
the culture not been preoccupied with a chaotic struggle against the
ravaging disease. More than five million Incas may have died from
smallpox, which all but eradicated their entire civilization.
In North America, Native American tribes were not immune to the
onslaught. Numerous tribes of river valley Mound Builders vanished
altogether from smallpox, while the Massachusetts and Narragansett
tribes were nearly wiped out. Estimates suggest that the population of
the New World declined by ninety-five percent in the century following
the arrival of Columbus, attributable primarily to smallpox.
The lethal virus didn't stop there, flaring up in sporadic epidemics
that killed thousands more in Europe over the next two hundred years.
Sinister military minds later made use of the disease as a tool of
battle, to intentionally infect opposing forces. Historical
allegations claim the British provided smallpox-infected blankets to
warring Native American tribes in the 1760s, and employed similar
tactics against American troops during the battle for Quebec during the
Revolutionary War.