by Mike McNeff
“Shosi here.”
“Hi Shosi, it's Robin.”
“How are you?”
“Doing well and yourself?”
“I am well also.”
“Good to hear it. Are you secure to talk?
“Yes, I am clear.”
“We have a mission in progress and we're looking for a fast, large helicopter with a range of at least five to six hundred nautical miles. Know where we can get one?”
“I don't know what its actual range is, but a friend of mine flies a CH 53 for a shipbuilding company. He owes me a favor or two.”
“CH 53 would be perfect. Can you put him on standby for a charter flight?”
“He flies a lot to China and Russia delivering parts. I don't know what his schedule is, but I'll talk to him.”
“That'll be great. We may need it as a backup exfil method. You can get back to me on the Fatboy secure phone.”
“I'll call as soon as I hear anything.”
Robin put the phone down and looked up at Jamie and Mark. “Well guys, what do you think?”
“Going into North Korea when we don't have the target identified seems very risky to me, Rob.” Jamie's frown reinforced the seriousness of his concern.
“North Korea is a dangerous place to be…period. Ernie knows that and he'll take the best precautions, short of scrubbing the mission. The chance of us being successful doesn't seem very good right now, though. My main goal is to do the best we can and get everybody back in one piece.”
“Given the situation,” Mark said, “I'm kinda glad to be in the command and control group for this one.”
Robin laughed. “See, Mark, things tend to work out. Keep monitoring the intelligence stream and hope the CIA or NSA comes up with something that'll make things a little easier.”
FIFTEEN
FATBOY REFUELED IN HONOLULU where Emmett and Rick split off and headed for Taiwan. Robin gave them a new handheld satellite phone supplied by the CIA. He also told them Doug would be joining them in Taiwan, which was welcome news.
The team used the flight to Incheon, South Korea to review and refine the plan. The CIA sent four possible freighter configurations for the teams’ consideration. They were trying to narrow down the odds, but they were a long way off from attracting the interest of a Vegas gambler.
After finalizing the plan, Ernie met with Robin alone.
“I think it's the best we can do with the intel we have, Rob. Rocky and Marv agree we need to do solo recons of the harbors, with Mike as back up. He'll stay with the boat so he can go to whoever may need help.
Robin let out a long breath. “I just don't like having them alone in such hostile territory, but I'll go along with your call this time. Hell, the wisdom of the entire operation itself is questionable.”
“Why do you think Grassley is sending us?”
“Plausible Deniability. The geopolitical ramifications are enormous. I'm betting the CIA wants to be able to deny any US involvement if we get caught on one hand and say they tried everything to prevent the worse-case scenario on the other hand, if asked by the White House.”
“Well, if we don't find that ship, we are going to do a good recon of the harbors. If they used it once, they'll use it again and we'll have the information.”
“Just remember, a good recon means no contact with the enemy.”
“Ten-four on that score.” Both men smiled at Ernie's use of police radio code.
Doug walked through the international terminal at Taipei Chiang Kai-shek Airport. As he approached the terminal doors he recognized Cái Song, the company rep in Taiwan, walking towards him.
“Hey Cái, how ya doin'?”
“I am fine, Doug. How is your shoulder?”
“Aw, it's okay. Still aches a little, but I've got a great doctor. It will be good as new soon.”
Cái nodded with a smile. “I have commandeered a plane to take us to Hualien. I have a friend who has a yacht there and he's given us use of it under one condition.”
“What's that?”
“He wants to come along.”
“I don't know if Robin would like that.”
“Well, he retired as the commanding general of the Taiwan Marine Corps.”
Doug laughed. “Hell, I don't think even Robin would argue with a general!”
y exited the terminal where Cái showed Doug to a car idling at the curb. Without a word, the driver drove to the private aviation terminal. Once Doug got situated in a seat on a Lear Jet, Cái handed him a shoulder holster rig with a Sig Sauer P220 .45 automatic pistol and two extra magazines.
“The General has any other weapons we may need.”
Doug started checking out the pistol when he noticed Cái rubbing the back of his neck while he gazed vacantly out the door.
“What's bugging you, Cái?”
Cái let out a long breath. “The general felt it necessary to inform our government about the threatened attack,” Cái said. Then he added quickly, “They promised not to interfere and offered all the assistance we need.”
“Damn! We gotta tell Ernie about this right away.” Doug could see his statement caused Cái even more concern. “Don't worry, Cái, you're not in trouble. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it.” Relief spread across Cái's face. Still Doug worried about the secrecy of the mission being compromised.
Cái moved to the plane's door. “I'm going back to the main airport to pick-up Emmett and Rick. The bar is well stocked and there's food in the refrigerator.”
“You're a good man, Cái!”
SIXTEEN
FATBOY LANDED CLOSE TO 0900 HOURS and was directed to a tarmac in front of two large hangers. Jack guided the big bird onto the tarmac and turned Fatboy around. The plane was too big to fit in the hangers. Kwan Thay the company rep for South Korea and two US Air Force pilots came on board.
“Robin, this is Major Jesse Arnold and Captain Art Wiseman from Air Force Special Operations.”
“Nice to meet you.” Each man had a firm grip as Robin shook their hands. He liked a pilot with a steady hand.
“Same here, Colonel,” the major replied.
“You can skip the rank, Major. Robin will do just fine.”
“The guy with CIA told us your rank, so I thought I'd cover my ass. You never know.”
“Can we start loading the equipment onto your aircraft?”
“You bet and we can take off as soon as it's done.”
“I like it,” Robin said as he led them through to the cargo hold.
Two hours later, the Chongjin team was loaded on an Air Force C-130 headed for the air base at Sokcho. Robin, Jamie and Mark set up the systems needed to monitor both the Taiwan and the Chongjin teams in Fatboy's communication center.
“Do we have any updated intel, Jamie?” Robin said as he checked the new handheld satellite phones. They were much better than the commercial version because they could access military communication satellites, which gave almost full worldwide coverage twenty-four hours a day. Given how spread out the team was, they could certainly come in handy.
“Everything is still the same. Emmett and Rick hooked up with Doug and Kwan. Ernie and his team should be landing at Sokcho in ten minutes.”
“Well, let's round up something to eat while we can. I expect things are going to get hot soon.”
“You're a great leader, Rob!” Mark cracked.
“I just can't deny you growing boys your daily bread.”
Despite his years of experience as police SWAT team leader and the two years of intense special ops training, the pit of Ernie's stomach churned as the C-130 touched down in Sokcho. He wanted to command a mission, he just didn't think it would be on such a vague target.
As the plane came to stop Ernie's mind completed yet another review of the plan. He wondered if Robin felt the same way when he led the men. Ernie's fists tightened with resolve. “Let's move out!”
The men grabbed their gear and hustled down the ramp to two Chevrolet Suburbans with dark tinted
windows waiting on the tarmac. Kwan gave instructions to a location in Sokcho Harbor and the drivers moved out. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a low blue building on the northeastern edge of the harbor. The team piled out of the SUVs and were directed to a low slung motor boat moored at the stern.
“What kind of boat is this?” Ernie asked Kwan.
“It's an old fifty foot wooden power boat I rebuilt. I put in twin five hundred horsepower diesels and extra fuel tanks. She'll cruise at thirty knots with a range of eight hundred nautical miles.”
“Wow, you did all that yourself?”
“No, several of my friends contributed time and money to the project. We wanted a boat that could get us out to good fishing water and get us back quickly. I thought she'd come in handy because she's wood. Not easily spotted on radar.”
Ernie put his arm around Kwan's shoulders. “Did I ever tell you that you're a good man?”
Kwan grinned from ear to ear.
“Load up guys,” Ernie barked. “Let's get this boat underway. We're burnin’ daylight!”
Wasting no time after they landed, Cái took Emmett and Rick to meet up with Doug and the Lear Jet got them to Hualien in twenty minutes. A private car picked them up and Cái took them to a large home on the beach north of the city off Road 193. It was a beautiful two story house with large verandas all around. As the men got out of the car, a distinguished looking older man came out of the front door to greet them. He warmly greeted Cái who introduced the man to the team.
“Gentlemen, please meet General David Leung.”
Emmett stepped forward, saluted then offered his hand. The General broke into a broad grin and shook Emmett's hand.
“Glad to meet you, General.”
“Please call me David. I'm long retired from being a general.”
“I'm Emmett Franks, sir and this is Rick Santos and Doug Ariel.”
David shook each man's hand. “Please, come inside and have some refreshment before we get down to business.”
The team grabbed their gear and followed David into his home.
A beautiful woman dressed in a red, silk, mandarin gown floated into the living room followed by a man pushing a cart with drinks.
“Gentlemen, this is my wife, Ching Lan.”
“Welcome to our home, gentlemen. Please sit down.”
Emmett said, “Good afternoon, ma'am,” as the other men respectfully nodded to her.
Ching Lan extended a well-manicured hand toward an intricately carved side board laid out with an eye popping array of dim sum. “After you have refreshments, I'll show you to your rooms.”
“Ma'am, I believe Cái has a hotel set up for us,” Emmet said as he was handed a glass of something that smelled like an exquisite combination of honey and mint.
“He did, but we told him to cancel those reservations. You men are here to protect our country and we will make sure you are well taken care of. It is not a point for discussion.” Ching Lan smiled graciously, but her eyes held a determined look.
Having been married for almost twenty years, Emmett replied with the only acceptable answer of, “Yes, ma'am.”
A pleasant hour of discussion passed before the men got down to business.
“Whatever you need, please let me know and it will be taken care of,” David said after Ching Lan left the room.
“We're going to need cars,” Emmett began, “and we'd like to rent them from a company that will rotate them daily for us.”
“You will have cars,” David said without a second's hesitation. “They will be delivered here early each morning.”
Emmett nodded and sat back in his chair.
“Before you leave to check out the situation, I will supply you with appropriate weapons.”
“Thank you, sir,” Emmett said as he set his drink down. “Quite frankly, we'd like to get started. Our intel is still pretty sketchy on this whole situation. The sooner we get an eye on these guys the better I'll feel.”
“Do you know where they are?”
“We've been told they are staying in a two story house across the road from the northeast corner of the air base.”
“Hmm, I hadn't heard that.”
“Our main goal right now is to bug their location and hopefully find out more about their plan.”
“Yes, I agree you should get started immediately. I'll arrange everything while you get settled.”
Emmett didn't spot a signal, but Ching Lan reappeared and showed the team to their rooms. Emmett took the middle room of the three to have easy access to both his team members. Huge sliding glass doors opened onto a veranda with an expansive view out over the Pacific Ocean.
“This beats the heck out of even a five star hotel,” Rick said as he gazed out over the water.
“Yeah, sure does,” Emmett said. “But we're not on a vacation here. Get changed and let's get moving.”
They met David back in the living room and he took them into a basement. Walking over to a steel door, David punched a code on a key pad. The door clicked and then the sound of metal moving within the door signaled it was unlocked. David turned the handle and opened the door.
“Take any weapons you need,” he said as he ushered them into a large room lined with weapons.
“Ammunition is in that steel chest against the far wall,” he said before disappearing back up the stairs.
All three Guardians chose silenced HK MP5 submachine guns. Rick also chose a MacMillan sniper rifle in NATO 7.62 with a GEN III night weapons scope, a set up on which he trained extensively. They loaded magazines, packed cases and walked back up the stairs to find cars waiting for them.
Cái walked up to Emmett. “If you want, I can drive for you and we have two marines from our intelligence division who can drive for Rick and Doug. They know the area well and will not interfere with your operations.”
“Okay, bring them over here.” When the men assembled, Emmett laid out a quick plan. “You and I will go to the area where we think the house is. We'll try to verify they are there. The other cars hang around the area. If it is the house, we'll set up surveillance and wait for an opportunity to plant some bugs. Cái before we go, can you do a quick frequency check and make sure we won't be on a frequency that'll interfere with a station here?”
Emmett handed Cái a frequency list and he went in the house. By the time the men loaded their gear into the cars Cái returned.
“Four of your frequencies are clear.”
Emmett looked at the sheet. “We'll use Tac 3. I'll be Echo unit, Rick you'll be Romeo unit and Doug you'll be Delta unit. The men nodded. “Okay, let's rock and roll.”
SEVENTEEN
RELIEF FLOODED THROUGH ERNIE to see the sun edging lower and lower in the blue Pacific sky. Even though they were well outside the twelve nautical mile limit the North Koreans considered their territory, they also claimed a two hundred nautical mile “exclusive economic zone.” The zone primarily protected their fishing industry, but the North Koreans weren't known for being predictable when it came to stopping any kind of boat.
From the cabin of Kwan's boat, Ernie searched the horizon towards North Korea through binoculars. They were two hours into the eight hour trip and had crossed the DMZ an hour ago. The possibility of a patrol boat or aircraft spotting them increased with every revolution of the props.
The boat cruised effortlessly at thirty knots and it handled well, even in the developing swell. Nodding to Kwan, Ernie walked out on the back deck and found Rocky and Burke doing final checks on weapons and explosives.
“Nothing like a little evening cruise to relax a person.”
Burke rolled his eyes, chuckled and shook his head. “Take a deep breath and chill out a little, boss. You have to realize the worst thing that can happen to us is we get killed.”
“Now those are comforting words. You really know how to ease someone's nerves.”
“If you think about it, Ernie, Burke's right,” Rocky said as he jacked a round into the chamber of his silenced MP5
. We all are gonna die someday. It's just a matter of when and where. So relax, there's really nothing to lose.”
“Thanks, I feel better already. Everything okay with the things that go bang?”
“Yeah, we're good,” Rocky replied. “I just hope we get to blow something up.”
“Amen,” Burke said as he slapped Rocky's raised hand.”
Right,” and then silently added and we all get back in one piece.
Robin and Mark were going over maps and satellite imagery for North Korea and Taiwan. The satellite pictures showed a lot of ship traffic in the East Sea, the Sea of Japan and the Eastern China Sea. There were several ships in both harbors at Chongjin, but comparison of photos on different days showed ships replaced with others. Finding the target ship, if it even existed, seemed about as easy as picking out a particular wave in a choppy sea.
Jamie put down his headset and walked over to the map table. “I just got an intel update.”
“What's the score?” Robin said as he put aside the satellite picture of the western harbor at Chongjin and picked up the one from the eastern side.
“Still no positive location on the target, but the chatter NSA is picking up still indicates a threat against an American base.”
“That's not very helpful.”
Jamie kept twisting a pen in his hands until Robin looked up.
“Spit it out, Jamie.”
“I requested the suspect transmissions and reviewed them myself.”
“Go ahead.”
“I know those guys are the experts, but I see something there NSA isn't looking at. It seems to me the chatter is talking about two targets and one of them is a big one.”
“That would be the base in Taiwan.”
“No, Rob. Bigger than that. One that requires a large attack.”
Robin leaned forward in his chair giving Jamie a serious look. “Is there any info about a large contingent of men anywhere?”
“No, but what if it doesn't mean a troop movement, but a large scale weapon?”
Jamie now had Robin's full attention. “Who has that kind of weapon?”
