Retribution - A Special Agent Dylan Kane Thriller Book #7

by J. Robert Kennedy

  The People’s Democratic Republic of Korea was efficient.

  The car pulled to the curb and Park climbed in the back seat, followed by Tann. They pulled away, blending with the traffic. A woman in the passenger seat turned around, handing them each a large manila envelope.

  “These are your new identities. You are South Korean businessmen on your way back to Seoul. Your plane leaves in two and a half hours, and you will be met at the airport when you arrive.”

  Park opened his envelope and found plane tickets, a passport, credit cards and cash, along with photos of him and his family in front of various landmarks in South Korea. Several hotel and restaurant receipts from the past couple of days were included.

  Pyongyang had thought of everything.

  “Memorize your identity summary sheet. Your lives may depend on it.”

  She then turned to face the front, leaving the two men to load their pockets with their new lives, and study the single page summary of who they were, what they had been doing, and any other thing a border official might ask them in Moscow, or upon arrival in South Korea.

  60

  Moscow Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel

  Moscow, Russian Federation

  Kane stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself, before sauntering out into the bedroom area. “All yours.”

  Sherrie rushed past him, already down to her skivvies, how much time they had before Langley would call, unknown. Kane quickly toweled dry as the shower fired up again, and within a couple of minutes was ready for action.

  He lay on the bed, turning on CNN, the coverage now dominated by the “Embassy Invasion in Russia” story. Moscow’s rhetoric and propaganda machines were in full swing, putting out the story about Bureau 121 operating there illegally, and how they were responsible for the ransomware attack a week ago.

  Evidence would follow.

  If they can find any.

  In the end, it wouldn’t matter. Bureau 121 had been shut down in Moscow, the ToolKit had been wiped so the Russians couldn’t get it, and the North Koreans would be watched like hawks from now on. He had no doubt it wouldn’t impact Bureau 121’s abilities in the long run, this only one of their locations, he was sure. But losing Russia as a base of operations would be an inconvenience. They’d have to concentrate more of their efforts from China, Hong Kong, Ukraine, and other hotbeds of cybercrime.

  It would never end.

  And the ironic part was that they weren’t even responsible for the ransomware attack, though the fact their agent had stolen then sold the ToolKit to the hackers, did sort of make them culpable in a roundabout way.

  The shower turned off and the curtain slid aside.

  “Need some help drying yourself?”

  “Yes. Can you get me my gun first, though?”

  Kane grinned. He had really enjoyed working with Sherrie. In his business, he usually didn’t have a partner, and when it was a woman, too often there was too much sexual energy for it to remain platonic for long. But things were different now that he had Fang, and even if he were partnered with someone willing, he’d never betray her trust.

  He had been forced to sleep with women since he’d been with Fang, though that was part of the job, not casual sex for the sake of sex. Fang understood that, and had even been relieved when he had confessed to her what had happened.

  He had felt so guilty, he began to distance himself from her.

  And she was having none of that.

  But with Sherrie, the banter was fun. She was his best friend’s girl, and he would never betray Leroux, and neither would she. With the exception of Sherrie, he could think of no female friends he hadn’t slept with, and those weren’t really friends. His pattern of self-destructive behavior between missions, before meeting Fang, had been curbed, at least from the promiscuous sexual point of view, though he still enjoyed his Scotch a little too much on occasion.

  Now his idea of unwinding was to spend time with the woman he loved.

  His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts of Fang.

  “Go for the Bedroom King.”

  “I’m not sure how I should take that, but stay put. And don’t worry about the knock on the door. It’s just room service, not a hit squad.”

  Kane laughed at Leroux. The guy was loosening up, the longer he spent with Sherrie, the more confident he was becoming. It was wonderful to see. “What’s up? Have you found him?”

  “Affirmative. There will be a car outside in five minutes to take you to the airport. Park and one of his men, a Captain Tann, were spotted at Sheremetyevo Airport. Looks like they’re heading to South Korea under assumed identities.”

  Kane pressed the phone against his chest and called to Sherrie. “Four minutes!”

  Sherrie cursed.

  “When does their flight leave?”

  “We’ve hacked the airport’s system, so everything is delayed right now.”

  Kane grinned as he swung off the bed. “Nice. Our tickets and ID?”

  “You’re back to your newlywed covers. We couldn’t put together new IDs quick enough. Your driver will have everything else you’ll need.”

  “Understood. I’m enjoying the part. Your girlfriend’s a good kisser.”

  “We’ll be talking when you get back.”

  61

  Sheremetyevo International Airport

  Moscow, Russian Federation

  Colonel Park sat on the toilet at Sheremetyevo International Airport, his ass killing him. He had been in here for almost half an hour, Tann in the next stall. Their flight had been delayed, as had every other flight on the board, apparently something wrong with the computer systems.

  It sounded suspicious to him.

  If he had to guess, the Russians had disrupted their own system to give them time to find those escaping the embassy. He had only spotted one other familiar face in the crowd. They had ignored each other. Part of him hoped others had escaped, and another part hoped Pyongyang hadn’t put all of the eggs in one proverbial basket, sending everyone on the same flight to Seoul in a desperate bid to get them out on the first flight.

  That would be foolish.

  And Pyongyang wasn’t foolish.

  He had never been extracted before. He had been briefed on a regular basis on how to trigger the extraction, how to hide while waiting, often in plain sight, then what might be expected of them once the process started.

  The problem with Russia was that it wasn’t exactly a free country. Rights were violated all the time, and with it fairly homogenous, Koreans stuck out.

  Fortunately, a flight to Seoul was expected to have lots of Koreans on board. A shorter flight to Western Europe might have seemed wiser, but there would be few if any Koreans heading in that direction. Not from Moscow.

  An announcement over the PA system declared the computers had been fixed, and flights would be resuming departure shortly.

  That probably still meant at least an hour.

  An interminable hour.

  Kane helped Sherrie out of the cab, driven by a CIA operative stationed in Moscow. The man helped with their luggage and Kane tipped him.

  “Don’t spend it all in one place.”

  The driver stared at the 50 ruble note. “Don’t worry, I can’t even buy a good coffee with that.”

  Kane grinned and followed Sherrie into the terminal. He noticed the boards indicating major delays, but the PA was announcing flights were resuming.

  Leroux’s delaying tactic was over.

  Fortunately, their contact had provided them with boarding passes, saving them some time. Security hadn’t been backed up, which was fortunate, but he noticed a significantly higher number of armed guards visible, eyeballing anyone who didn’t appear European.

  He and Sherrie breezed through, not matching the profile of fleeing North Korean spies. They reached their gate as the flight began boarding, and Kane quickly scanned the impatient crowd.

  “Ten o’clock,” he whispered, spotting Park and his minion that Lan
gley had identified as Captain Tann, to his left.

  “I see them. Let’s hope he doesn’t recognize me.”

  Kane nodded, handing over her boarding pass. “Try to stay behind me and out of sight.”

  Park and Tann were ahead of them, which was unfortunate. Depending on who was seated where, they might be forced to pass each other. They would have to remain vigilant the entire nine-hour flight, though Park and Tann had never seen him, leaving Sherrie the only one at risk.

  He handed over his boarding pass and passport, then waited for Sherrie to do the same, before heading down the jetway toward their plane. He breathed deeply, the smell of aviation fuel filling his nostrils, a smell he’d never tire of. He loved flying, no matter what the circumstances.

  He presented his boarding pass again, and was directed toward his seat. Sherrie was right behind him, and he quickly spotted Park and Tann several rows ahead. He reached out behind him and guided Sherrie slightly over, hoping she’d pick up on the cue.

  A baby’s toy dropped to the floor in front of him, and he bent over on instinct to pick it up.

  And cursed to himself. He stood, handing the toy back to a grateful mother, but the damage had already been done.

  Park was staring through Kane.

  Sherrie handled it like a pro as they passed. “Oh my God! Twice in one day! What are the chances of that!” She patted Park on the shoulder then continued past, Kane taking his window seat, Sherrie the middle.

  “Well, that was unfortunate.”

  Sherrie nodded. “He made me as soon as you bent over. I figured it was best to acknowledge it rather than pretend it never happened.”

  “You made the right choice, but we may be useless once we get to Seoul.”

  “You won’t be.”

  Kane shook his head. “He saw me with you. We’ve both been made.”

  Park’s heart hammered as he gripped the arm rests tighter. It was the same woman who had bumped into him this morning, minutes before the Russians had invaded the embassy. He didn’t believe in coincidences, and he was certain he had caught a brief moment of hesitation in her eyes before she had thrown on the charm.

  It was exactly as a trained, though perhaps inexperienced spy, might react. She knew she had been made, and tried to salvage the situation by acknowledging the fact with almost no hesitation.

  She was good, but not that good.

  Yet why was she here? And who was that man she was with? Were they here for him? Someone else?

  It made no sense. If they were Russian, and they were here for him, then that would mean the Russians knew they were on board. Why not just arrest them now? They were out of uniform, flying under false identities. They could be arrested as spies with no problem. Following them to Seoul made no sense.

  What if they’re not Russian at all?

  They could be Americans.

  His heart slammed even harder.

  Now that made sense. The Americans would want to avoid an incident on Russian soil, but they wouldn’t hesitate in Seoul. They had tens of thousands of troops in South Korea, the country was a staunch ally, and would probably cooperate fully in his apprehension. As soon as they got off the flight in Seoul, they’d probably be swarmed by armed security, then whisked away for interrogation.

  And as soon as he disappeared, his family would be arrested back home, his incentive to keep his mouth shut.

  “Sir, are you okay?”

  He glanced at Tann and shook his head. “Neither of us is.”

  62

  Operations Center 2, CIA Headquarters

  Langley, Virginia

  Leroux glanced up from his workstation as Director Morrison entered the operations center, Leroux jumping to his feet before Morrison could wave him off. He returned to his seat, scrutinizing his boss’ face.

  “Something wrong, sir?”

  Morrison dropped into a free chair and leaned closer to his underling. “Where’s Kane?”

  “In the air, heading for Seoul. Five hours out.”

  Morrison frowned. “Any way to contact him?”

  Leroux shook his head. “No, we figured satellite phones wouldn’t fit their cover, and we had them hand over their watches, just in case the Russians decided to pull everyone off the plane. We’re still not confident they won’t order the plane to land before it leaves Russian airspace.” Leroux’s eyes narrowed. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  Morrison sighed then stood, Leroux following. “Can I have everyone’s attention please?”

  Leroux’s team fell silent, all heads turned toward Morrison. “The reports will start hitting the wires at any moment, but I wanted you to hear it from me first. The North Koreans have just launched a medium range ballistic missile over Russian territory, in protest of the attack on their embassy in Moscow.”

  Gasps filled the room, and Leroux’s chest tightened. “Where did it land?”

  “It landed in international waters, but missed a Russian naval task force by less than ten nautical miles.”

  “Holy shit!” exclaimed Randy Child. “Are they nuts?”

  Sonya Tong grunted. “I think that’s been well established.”

  Leroux held out a hand, silencing the chatter. “And it went over Russian territory?”

  Morrison nodded. “Yes, and they’re pissed. The Russian President just got off the phone with our President.”

  Leroux paled slightly and gripped the back of his chair.

  Morrison looked about the room at the team of specialists, all now on edge. “The Russians have already launched over two-hundred cruise missiles at North Korea, and are sending naval, air, and ground assets into the region.”

  Somebody cried out. Leroux didn’t bother checking to see who, the shock in the room universal.

  Two nuclear powers were about to go to war. There would be no contest between the two. Russia would win, without a doubt. The problem was who North Korea would take with them. With their forces geared toward the south for an assumed future conflict with South Korea and the Americans, would they lash out in that direction, regardless of who was attacking them, taking possibly hundreds of thousands of lives with them?

  Or would they launch their limited number of nuclear weapons? And with little to no population centers within range in Russia, would they target Seoul or Tokyo?

  With a madman at the helm, there was no telling what might happen.

  “Do the North Koreans know?”

  Morrison shook his head. “We don’t believe so.” He gestured at Tong. “Bring up the NORAD tactical display. Authorization Alpha-Papa-Four-Seven-Six-Bravo.” Tong’s fingers attacked her keyboard, her entire body shaking. The large displays at the front of the room filled with a map of the world, thousands of pieces of data appearing. “Show us the Korean Peninsula.” The display updated. “Show us all known North Korean rocket and nuclear installations.” Several dozen dots appeared with data displays beside each. “Bring up live satellite coverage of each of those targets. Impacts should begin any minute now.”

  Leroux motioned toward the screen. “Are we sure this is all they’re hitting?”

  Morrison shook his head. “No. Based upon the transcript of the conversation, the suggestion is that only these targets will be hit, but the Russian interpretation of ‘involved with’ and ours, might be something different. If they think the leadership is ‘involved with’ the nuclear and rocket program, they might well hit Pyongyang and the Dear Leader himself.”

  Leroux cursed. “If they do that, then we’re going to war for sure.”

  Morrison nodded. “I fear we may be going to war, regardless of what they hit.”

  “What’s the President going to do?”

  “Nothing.”

  Child’s brain-mouth filter failed once again. “Nothing? Are you kidding me?”

  Morrison glanced at him. “The Joint Chiefs recommended we do nothing, and the President agreed. And frankly, so do I. The key here is to make it clear we have no involvement in this strike whatsoever. If we pu
t our forces on alert ahead of the strike, then North Korea might retaliate in our direction. If we do nothing to provoke them, then condemn the attack loudly and publicly, we may just save the South Korean people from nuclear annihilation.”

  Leroux shook his head, staring at the displays.

  All because of a ransomware attack.

  One of the satellite images showing a North Korean facility flashed, a massive explosion filling the screen.

  There’s no way we’re not going to war.

  63

  Aeroflot Flight 250 to Seoul

  Over Russian Airspace

  “Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention, please.”

  Kane glanced up at the ceiling as if it would help him hear better, elbowing a sleeping Sherrie.

  “What is it?” she asked groggily.

  “Something’s going on.”

  She immediately became alert, sitting straight as the flight attendant continued in Russian.

  “We regret to inform you that due to events beyond our control, we will be diverting to Tokyo. This will add about two and a half hours to our travel time. Once on the ground, arrangements will be made for you to continue to Seoul as soon as possible. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience.”

  The announcement repeated in English then Korean, the passengers becoming increasingly irate as more were let in on the news.

  “Something’s wrong,” said Sherrie. “You can hear it in her voice.”

  Kane agreed. “I’d kill to have a laptop with a satellite connection.”

  “I’ve got one, dude.”

  The man in the aisle seat stood, retrieving his carry-on bag from overhead and removing a laptop. He sat and lowered his tray table. Moments later, he was connected to a brutally slow, but functional, CNN.

  “Holy shit! The Russians have attacked North Korea!”