MAYA HOPE, a medical thriller - The Dr. Nicklaus Hart series 1

by Timothy Browne, MD

  Buck, with approval from the others, offered Mr. Kim the front passenger seat. He and Nick sat in the middle bucket seats, while the women, whose legs were shorter, had offered to take the back.

  “I love your sandals, Katelyn,” Maggie told her as they climbed in the van.

  “Thank you. I bought them before I left at the Itaewon, one of the main shopping districts in Seoul. You will need to come to Korea someday and go shopping with me.”

  Nick smiled to himself. I knew these two were going to get along.

  Nick was glad the road was paved for at least half the two-hour drive to the village. He tried to relax and listen to Maggie and Katelyn talk.

  “Forgive me for saying this, I’m just doing my job,” Katelyn said. “Last night I looked you up and read about your ministry. I am sorry to hear about your husband, John. It is rare in our business to read about someone so well liked. I am truly sorry.”

  Nick saw Katelyn squeeze Maggie’s hand.

  “Thank you.” Maggie patted her hand and quickly changed the subject.

  “I have always wanted to go to Korea. One of my college friends went there as an exchange student and loved it.” Pleasantries aside, Maggie got to the point. “You really think there’s a connection to North Korea in this…mess?”

  “We cannot be sure. I have been with the Anti-Terrorist Agency for fifteen years now, and we have chased leads all over the world. Sometimes they amount to something and other times not.”

  Nick tried to do the math in his tired head. He wondered how old Katelyn was. He figured she had to be in her late thirties at least, but with her beautiful complexion, he could not be sure.

  “Are the North Koreans really involved in that much terrorism around the world?” Buck butted into their conversation.

  “Well, unfortunately, yes. Counterfeiting, computer espionage, sex trafficking. The list goes on. There are indications that the Heartbleed computer virus that infected millions of computers may have originated in the North.”

  “You guys must hate them,” Miguel added, joining the conversation.

  “No, actually we don’t. We fear some of their leaders, certainly, and dislike the ideology, but hate them, no. You must remember: North Koreans are still Koreans. They are our family. When the Korean War took place, families were often split apart. Many have not seen or heard from each other for many years. We don’t hate them; we pray for them every day.”

  Miguel regretted his comment, but the rest of the crew pondered Katelyn’s reply.

  “Are you a Christian?” Maggie asked.

  “Yes, I am a follower of Jesus.”

  “Are you from Seoul?”

  “Actually, I grew up in Pusan. It’s right on the tip of the peninsula. During the Korean War, the North invaded all the way to Pusan before the U.S. came to our aid and pushed them back. My grandfather was captured and taken to the north. My grandmother still lives with my parents in Pusan. We don’t know if Grandfather is still alive. Grandmother lives her life as though he is. She is a very strong woman.”

  “Obviously a chip off the ol’ block.” Buck nudged Nick.

  “My father was in the Korean war,” Nick told Katelyn, “but he never wants to talk about it, and I’ve never really understood why it happened.”

  “The Forgotten War—that is how it is often referred to around the world, except by those of us who live in Korea. For us, the war is ever present,” Katelyn explained. “Even to this day, schoolchildren practice weekly for the possibility of air raids or missiles. In reality, we are still at war; the fragile peace is threaded together with the Korean Armistice Agreement. You know the city of Seoul has almost ten million people and is only thirty-five miles from the DMZ? A handful of short-range missiles from the North could kill hundreds of thousands of people.” She paused to gather her thoughts. “As far as why the war happened, that is a much harder question to answer.”

  A blasting air horn interrupted her speech. It came from a passing bus, packed with people, and forced their van onto the narrow shoulder. Katelyn grimaced at Maggie.

  “Everyone all right?” Maggie scanned their faces to be sure. Then she turned to Katelyn. “Please go on. Tell us more.”

  Katelyn pulled herself together and continued. “Like many parts of the world, there was much conflict over our tiny peninsula. Someday in heaven, we will better understand the battles that rage in certain parts of the earth. The Christians in Korea believe that our home is holy ground, and there is a constant battle between good and evil.”

  Maggie nodded. “I’m glad that we know who wins.”

  “Yes, we have faith,” Katelyn added, “but until that time, we must continue the good fight. You have to remember that Japan controlled our homeland in the first half of the 1900s. Korea was considered to be part of the Empire of Japan. Unfortunately, when this happened, many of our people were forced into labor in Japan—mineworkers, factories, any menial work and worse, I’m afraid.”

  She stopped talking when Miguel slowed the van to let a Maya family cross the road.

  “Here is a statistic I’m sure many people do not realize,” she went on. “When the U.S. dropped their nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, it’s estimated that twenty-five percent of the people that died there were actually Korean because it was such an industrial city, and many of the workers were Korean.”

  “The world sure seems messed up,” Nick added.

  “During World War II, as the Soviet armies fought Japan and moved south, they invaded parts of China and came into North Korea,” Katelyn continued. “You may remember that the ruthless leader of the Soviets at that time was Stalin. As World War II was ending, around 1945, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel, basically between the Soviets and the United States. Stalin installed Kim Il-sung as the leader of the North.”

  The van left the paved road, hit a large pothole, and bounced violently.

  The passengers adjusted, and Katelyn went on. “Kim Il-sung was determined to create reunification with the South with the backing of Stalin’s Soviets and Mao Zedong’s China. He attempted this by force.”

  “Talk about an unholy trinity,” Buck shook his head and grabbed a handhold to steady himself on the rough road. “Stalin, Mao Zedong and Kim Il-sung.”

  “Yes, and you can see where that has led us to today.”

  Everyone contemplated the history.

  Finally, Maggie broke the silence. “And you still don’t know if your grandfather is alive?”

  “No. Even in my line of work, we haven’t been able to find out any information.”

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No. Like many Koreans, my parents only had one child. They started me in Tae Kwon Do when I was very young, probably out of fear that the North would invade again. They wanted me to be able to protect myself. I had my black belt by age twelve, and I was on the Korean National team by seventeen.”

  Mr. Kim spoke up for the first time. “Miss Kim would not tell you this, but she took gold medals in three consecutive World Championships, a true national hero.” He said this with pride.

  “I guess that makes me feel a little bit better.” Nick touched his nose and looked at Buck.

  “I was recruited by the National Intelligence Service, the NIS, shortly after that and then after five years transferred to the Anti-Terrorist Agency,” she told them, deflecting her colleague’s compliment.

  Nick looked back at Katelyn and smiled. Still trying to do the math, he realized that she could be close to his age.

  How unfair. She looks thirty at most, and I feel sixty.

  With the pavement long behind them, the van climbed the steep mountain road. Miguel hugged the uphill side of the road while his passengers peered warily off the edge. At least the chicken bus’s last stop had ended with the pavement, clearing the rough road of the possibility of a head-on crash with it. The passengers were relieved until their van met a truck, but Miguel and the driver were able to maneuver around each other. The back of th
e truck was noisy with people. The driver told Miguel they were villagers from Cruce Dos Aguadas going into town for their monthly shopping trip. Miguel told him they were headed to the village, and the driver said the chief was still there because he didn’t like going into town.

  * * *

  Hwang, Cho and Suk were finally on the road to Cruce dos Aguados.

  True to form, Hwang and Cho had come home late and drunk the night before, and Suk had had a difficult time rousing them for their last tour of the villages.

  Hwang’s erratic driving made for a harrowing trip, and Suk hung on for safety while Cho slept like a baby.

  Fantasizing about eliminating Hwang and Cho helped Suk get through the day.

  * * *

  As Nick’s van pulled into Cruce Dos Aguadas, he saw that the village was smaller and more isolated that El Zapote, but just as depressing.

  The chief described in detail the lack of pregnancies and how the village was in despair because of it. The chief, a Christian, told them, “It is like satan has gained a foothold, and now the young people have begun to abuse alcohol and drugs. It is like God’s design for our lives has been removed, and darkness has crept in.”

  “Can you tell us about the men from FOCO?” Katelyn asked.

  “They have been the one bright spot in our lives, although we have not seen them for a while. The men have been very good to us. They drilled our new well.” He pointed to the wellhead and hand pump off the central area. “Every time they came to our village, they would bring us food and supplies for our farm—shovels, hoes, and such. They would not ask anything in return.”

  “It sounds like they were very helpful,” Katelyn responded. “Anything else you can tell us?”

  The chief thought for a moment. “I guess the only thing that didn’t work out so well was when they gave us a vaccination for the flu, and we all still got sick. Not bad sick, more like a cold. They told us it was probably a reaction to the vaccine. We are perfectly healthy now.”

  “Yeah, except for having infertility problems,” Buck whispered to Nick.

  Katelyn looked at Nick and back at the chief. “Anything else you want to tell us?”

  “Please pray for my village. If our women don’t get pregnant, our village will be no more.”

  CHAPTER 51

  * * *

  Terror

  “What do you think?” Nick asked Katelyn as they bounced down the mountain road away from Cruce dos Aguados.

  “It’s so hard to know. Something in my gut tells me that there is something up with FOCO. We located their house in San Benito, and Mr. Kim and I will go there today when we get back to see if we can talk with them.”

  “Will that be safe?” Maggie asked.

  “It’s our job,” Katelyn reminded her. “Our government believes that the North has been involved in suspicious biological activities, but we have been unable to connect all the dots. Dr. Hart, do you think this history of the vaccination could be related to the infertility?”

  “I have never heard of anything like it. People can get sick after a flu vaccination, so it’s hard to tell.”

  “Do you know of any viral disease that causes infertility?”

  “Ms. Kim, you are talking to a dumb bone doctor. I’m probably the wrong guy to ask. I’ve got a good friend back in Memphis who’s an infectious disease doc. We could call him.”

  “Oh shoot,” Miguel said, interrupting their conversation.

  “What is it?”

  He was agitated. “I just saw the glimpse of a car coming up the road.” The jungle road curved around the mountain, and sometimes, if the light was right, you could catch sight of a vehicle through the foliage behind or in front. “I don’t feel safe. I don’t think they can get around us. I’m going back up into that wide spot a little ways back. Wait for them to pass.”

  Miguel backed up slowly, easing into the wide spot on the side of the road. His passengers held their breath, as well as their seats and armrests—as if that would do any good if the van tumbled off the fifty-foot drop at the edge of the wide spot into the dense jungle. It took only a few minutes to back into the safe spot, but it felt like an eternity.

  “You okay, Nick?” Maggie asked. “You’re looking a bit peaked.”

  “I guess I’m okay, but my head’s starting to pound.”

  Miguel stopped the van. They could hear the car coming and waited. He rolled down his window, pulled in his side mirror, and watched, ready to wave the oncoming vehicle past. He glanced up and down his side of the van to make sure there was room to pass.

  That was when a large SUV came around the curve in front of them. Nick had his eyes closed, and Buck was busy talking with the women. It was Miguel who recognized the vehicle.

  “It’s the FOCO Jeep.”

  Nick bolted upright. His head spun.

  “This is going to get interesting,” Buck said, sliding open the side door of the van. It was parked so close to the edge that, even in the wide spot, it was difficult to get a foothold on the ground to navigate to the front of the van, so he turned toward the rear. Buck was determined to prevent the men from getting away again. He worked his way to the back of the van and into the road, waving his arms frantically, commanding the SUV to stop.

  Cho, in the front passenger seat of the SUV, recognized the big man. “Boss, it’s those people who were snooping around El Zapote yesterday.” The sun’s reflection on the SUV’s windshield blocked the North Koreans from seeing Mr. Kim in the van’s passenger seat.

  Hwang stopped short, staring at the man in the road and salivating like a rabid wolf. “What do you want me to do?”

  Suk knew Hwang wanted to run the man down. “Pull up beside the van,” he ordered. “Nothing else we can do, you idiot.”

  Hwang snorted and pulled the SUV alongside the van but didn’t plan to stop. The vehicles were inches apart and inches from the edge of the mountain.

  Without smiling, Hwang nodded to Miguel. Everyone heard the SUV dislodge a rock at the edge of the road, causing the vehicles to lurch closer. Hwang hit the brakes hard and the Jeep jarred to a stop. The vehicle drivers faced each other, window to window.

  Miguel could smell the alcohol on Hwang’s breath, but he did not see Cho pull the gun from between the seats.

  Cho tensed, still hungover and queasy, his hand clutching the weapon. The gun shook when he saw Buck walking toward the SUV.

  Cho’s agitation escalated once he saw a Korean, sitting in the van next to Miguel, reach inside his jacket. He panicked, aimed the gun at Miguel’s head, and pulled the trigger, showering blood and brain matter on Mr. Kim. Cho shot again, blasting Mr. Kim in his right shoulder before he could get to his own gun. Cho’s third shot hit Mr. Kim in the throat.

  Anna and Maggie screamed in terror. Katelyn took action, shoved them to the van floor, and sprawled on top of them. Nick dove out the side door Buck had already opened, stumbled, and barely caught himself from going over the edge of the road.

  Hwang gunned the SUV forward, smashing into Buck with full force, throwing him off the side of the mountain. Cho continued to fire randomly at the van.

  Katelyn kicked the van’s side window with such power, it exploded the glass. She pulled her pistol from its holster, leaned out the open window, and fired at the back of the SUV. Anna and Maggie covered their ears to muffle the shots as Katelyn emptied her clip at the departing SUV.

  Suk had already hit the floor of the SUV. One of Katelyn’s bullets found its mark to the back of Cho’s head, and another pierced Hwang’s shoulder, shattering his collarbone, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The Jeep grated against a rocky cutout in the road, bounced through a large rut and back onto the road.

  Without thinking, Nick ran after the SUV. He jumped on the driver’s side running board and grabbed at Hwang who managed to keep driving, even as Nick clawed at his face and ripped hair from his head.

  Hwang steered the SUV into the overgrown brush alongside the road, trying desperately to scra
pe Nick off the vehicle. The thicket tore at Nick’s side but he hung on, grabbing Hwang’s thick neck.

  The road curved suddenly. Hwang slammed on the brakes and shoved the door open, dislodging Nick’s hold and throwing him into the road in front of the Jeep.

  “Run him over, you fool!” Suk ordered.

  But Hwang was out for blood. He leaped out of the SUV, pulling his huge hunting knife from the sheath on his back. Gripped with rage, he lunged at Nick, slamming him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

  “I’m going to slice you open like I did your friend,” Hwang bellowed.

  Breathing hard, Nick’s eyes locked on Hwang, watching him wave the knife, knowing it was coming for him. He mustered his strength and rolled to the side of the road.

  No sooner than Hwang had leaped from the Jeep, Suk had climbed into the driver’s seat. He gunned the SUV, pulled the door closed, stepped on the gas, slammed into Hwang, knocking him to the road just as he was about to lunge and impale Nick who saw the knife fly into the jungle like a missile. With no regard for Hwang, Suk took off up the road.

  Hwang gathered his equilibrium and clawed at Nick who staggered to stand but couldn’t escape Hwang’s grip around his ankles. He desperately tried to kick the big man’s hands away, but Hwang regained his strength and pulled Nick under him, grabbing his throat.

  Nick gagged as Hwang squeezed his neck. Nick fought for his life, twisting and hammering at the man, using up all his strength. Hwang toyed with him, laughing like a house cat toying with a mouse.

  “You American pigs don’t know when to quit.” Hwang cackled. He loosened his hands to let Nick float to consciousness. “I will let you die when I say so.”

  When Nick blinked, Hwang tightened his grip again. Nick couldn’t breathe and darkness swallowed his vision. He was seconds from passing out. Help me Jesus. It was his last thought.

  Hwang put a final squeeze on Nick’s neck, and when he felt his victim go slack, he let go with satisfaction. Before he could stand and savor his victory, a bellowing cry made him turn to see a mad man coming for him. It was Buck, charging like a maimed jaguar aiming for a kill.