by Rawlin Cash
He was in over his head.
This was worse than Mexico and Saudi Arabia combined.
Forty-Three
"General Woo has long tried to stamp us out of existence," Yong said to Hunter. "The only problem… he's a simple man. He doesn't understand technology. He thinks the more men you throw at a problem, the quicker it will be solved. He must be increasing his patrols thanks to the pressure he has put on himself and the KPA."
Hunter smirked. "We were lucky," he said. "In a war of attrition, the man with the most men will always win."
"Then we will win," Woo said. "My father was a soldier in the KPA. He was high-ranking. He was arrested after I was caught hacking into his computer. He told the authorities that he was the one responsible for the computer. He was executed because of me. He died to protect the hope of rebellion. Those soldiers I just killed with the automated machine gun mounted on the roof of the garage, they were probably good men, too. But their deaths were necessary for the greater good. Once I broadcast the signal to the people of North Korea to rise up, once I affirm to every citizen in this country that there is hope if we stand together, then the war of attrition will be on our side. We will have the numbers. We will have the troops. We just need to convince the citizens."
As they discussed the nature of the attack, the villagers of Wung left their homes. They knew where to go. They knew who was responsible for the bodies of the KPA soldiers that laid in their streets.
Kim answered the door of the garage after he heard a knocking.
It was the village elder. Sun Pak.
"We were lucky to survive the attack," Pak said. He spoke in Korean, but Hunter could tell that the old man was upset.
Sun Pak had a long white goatee and walked with a cane. He looked frail, but he looked wise.
Yong turned to him and said, "We had to kill the soldiers, elder. We are so close."
Pak grunted in affirmation, and then he approached Yong. He embraced the young man, bending low on account of Yong's wheelchair.
"What are they saying to each other?" Hunter asked Kim.
"The village elder is upset, but he understands." Kim listened more to what Pak was saying to Yong and then relayed it to Hunter. "He's also saying that he expects more KPA soldiers to arrive."
"He's right about that. The ones that got away will surely password to the rest of the army. It won't be long before this village is scoured."
"Well, thankfully, our Liberators are limited to what you see in this garage. They won't find us. They won't be able to. For we will be with you, raiding the communication station at the top of Chum Chak."
Hunter sighed.
Yong told the village elder about their plans, and the village elder nodded. Hunter looked into the old man's eyes and saw youthful defiance. The old man had lived through a world of pain, yet he'd persevered. He'd kept in him the hope that one day North Korea would be a country he could be proud of.
Hunter looked at the rest of the villagers. They were standing behind the elder. He wondered if they understood the gamble and bet that the elder was making on the Liberators. He wondered if they would make the same bet if they were given the option.
One of them was a small boy with light brown hair. He was standing close to his mother, and he looked at Yong as he spoke to the elder with a kind-of disdain. Hunter understood that boy's feelings. He understood why the boy would be angry.
He also knew that one day the boy would understand why the rebellion, why the Liberators were essential and important.
Once the elder and the villagers of Wung were satisfied, they helped the Liberators load up their trucks.
"We're going to go to a small base camp on Chum Chak," Kim said to Hunter inside the truck he'd picked Hunter up in. "Once we are there, we will raid the communication station."
"It's going to take us a day to get to the tower?"
"Yes," Kim said. "It's at least an eight-hour drive and..."
"And what?" Hunter said.
"And at least a two-hour hike. It's a fairly steep mountain."
"How the hell is Yong getting up to the mountain?"
"You'll have to carry him."
Yong was in the back part of the cab of the truck with Kim and Hunter. He laughed when Kim told Hunter the plan.
"Are you worried you won't be able to carry me?" he said.
Hunter leered back at him and said, "I'll manage."
Kim's truck raced from Wung. It was followed by two other trucks full of the rest of the Liberators. There were three men in each truck. Altogether, there were nine of them.
As Kim navigated his way up the steep roads toward the base station on Chum Chak, Hunter talked with Yong.
"You should have told me about the machine gun on the roof," Hunter said. "The fact that we let some of them get away will come back to hurt us."
Yong laughed. "We will be fine. The soldiers that got away won't betray us."
"What makes you think that?"
"They'll be betraying their country. It's obvious what Woo is trying to do. He's trying to start a war. He's launched a nuclear bomb, he's kidnapped a President. He's doing whatever it is he can to destabilize the whole region."
"And you think the common soldier understands that," Hunter said.
"My entire plan relies on trusting the people of this country to do the right thing," Yong said. "I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't put faith in the soldiers. The less we kill, the better, as the more we will have on our side."
Kim drove up the steep slopes toward the base camp. It would be a slow drive. Hunter closed his eyes. He needed some sleep. Yong looked ahead at the dark of the approaching road. He was wagering everything on the belief that his people would do the right thing.
He knew he was making the right choice.
Forty-Four
The base camp rested on the slope of Chum Chak mountain. At the site was one small building, with a tiny chimney.
Kim pulled the truck up to the building and parked. Hunter helped Yong out and carried the rebel leader inside. The rest of the Liberators followed.
"We need to stay here until morning," Yong said. "It will be too cold and too difficult to make our way to the station at night."
"Who operates the base camp?"
"An old man," Kim said. "He's friendly to our cause."
Hunter grumbled. He didn't have much of a reason to believe anything the Liberators had told him up to that point, but he also didn't have an option not to believe them. He was in their country. He had to follow their lead.
Inside, the building was small, which actually wasn't a bad thing. Outside, it was negative thirty Fahrenheit.
The base camp belonged to a man named Oh Jin. His father was Japanese, and his mother was Korean. He'd been stuck in North Korea since the outbreak of the war in the 1950s. He'd avoided capture because of the base camp's remoteness and also because of the fact that he knew the mountains in the area better than anyone else. The KPA relied on him to navigate the site.
Jin didn't speak a word of English, but Hunter could tell from the look in his eyes that he could trust him. He had the eyes of a man who was gentle and forgiving.
Despite Hunter's willingness to trust Jin, Jin was not so quick to trust Hunter. Not only because he was with the two Liberators, who he didn't fully trust, but also because Hunter was American.
Hunter noticed the way Jin stared at him.
Jin expressed his discomfort with Hunter to Yong.
"You think I will help this pale-skinned demon?"
Young shook his head. "The color of his skin does not matter. He is here to help our people. You need to help us."
Jin looked Hunter up and down and begrudgingly nodded. "Okay," he said to Kim in Korean. "You can stay."
Hunter sat down beside a fireplace in the building and warmed his hands in the bright orange flame. He felt flashes of his past creep up in his mind. He wanted a quick hit of G-12. He could feel his mind quiver. He just closed his eyes and thought through it.
He'd soon fall sway to the demons inside his head. He'd become just another Mantis operative who'd gone bad.
But hopefully not before he saved the world.
Forty-Five
It'd been days since he'd last heard from Beijing. General Woo didn't like feeling out of the loop. He didn't like being ignored. Unlike the Supreme Leaders who'd ruled North Korea for years, he wasn't satisfied with the material pleasures of his newfound realm. He wasn't happy to hide away in the fortresses he'd just acquired. They'd offer him no peace. They'd give him no catharsis.
Instead, he fumed.
And drank.
He was giving in to his passion for alcohol.
He wanted the world to take North Korea seriously.
He sat in the large briefing room and slammed his fist on the table. In front of him was a giant map of the two Koreas. Small plastic pieces meant to signify troop battalions dotted the map. It was an old school method of looking at a conflict. But Woo liked old school. He liked seeing the battlefield represented in a physical and tangible way in front of him. He liked being able to handle the pieces with his hands.
It made the war feel more real.
That was one thing that the history book often forgot to talk about. Technically speaking, the two Koreas were still at war. And now, seventy years on, it was one of the longest wars in human history.
He stared at the map and grimaced.
His two most trusted commanders stood on either side of him. Park and Bong-hak looked nervously at him.
They felt his frustration.
“China seems to be pushing ahead with their plans with the United States,” Woo said. He looked at Bong-hak and narrowed his eyes.
“They are requesting you kill the President immediately,” Bong-hak said. “It’s just as I told you.”
Woo sighed. He'd killed the Supreme Leader, he'd taken over North Korea, and he was threatening the world with atomic war. Still, other countries were treating North Korea as if nothing had changed, as if everything was the same as it ever was.
“I will not expedite the execution,” Woo said. "I want to execute him on the day my father died. December 23rd.”
Park spoke up. “Perhaps Beijing doubts your control of the country. After all, did you hear the report from the town of Wung? Ten soldiers dead. They were inspecting an old village. Three escaped."
"Rebels?” Woo said.
“Yes,” Park said. "You expect the West to fear us when we have groups of rebels killing our soldiers performing a routine check. We need to destroy that village. We need to make sure that they understand who is in control."
"You should head to the town," Woo said. "I want those rebels dead. I want it known that an attack on KPA soldiers cannot happen. I want to skin them alive, flay them. I want the villages in the area to burn."
“Sir, I am sure Beijing…” Bong-hak said.
“Enough!” Woo said. “We will attack the rebellion. You will continue to communicate with Beijing.”
Park looked at Woo and nodded. She left the great room and made her way to the helipads. She'd be in the village by nightfall.
Woo poured himself another shot of whiskey.
Forty-Six
Park stepped into a Russian era helicopter. It was a Mil Mi-35, commonly referred to by NATO as a Hind D. Soviet-era pilots called the Hind D a "flying tank.' NATO has no direct counterpart to the bird. While the UH-1 or the Huey helicopter used by US forces in the Vietnam War could either ferry troops or be used as a gunship, it could not do both simultaneously. The Hind D was different. And as such was often considered the world's only assault helicopter.
It had two top-mounted turboshaft engines powered by a mid-mounted 17.3 m five-blade main rotor and a three-blade tail rotor. It was outfitted with a tandem cockpit and two mid-mounted stub wings to provide weapon hardpoints. The main fuselage was armored and could resist impacts from 12.7 mm rounds from all angles. The titanium rotor blades were similar in their resistance. The cockpit was overpressurized to protect against chemical, nuclear, biological, and radiological attacks.
In short, the Hind D was a fortress.
North Korea had only one Hind-D in its fleet, as it had cost the country 36 million American dollars.
Park used the aircraft as her own personal transport. It was one of the perks of being close to Woo. He let her play with the military's top equipment. She let him play with her when his wife wasn't looking.
She flew the helicopter to the village of Wung.
It took four hours for her to get there.
It was the middle of the night when she landed outside of the town's gates.
The village elder walked out from the town gates and approached her.
A stiff wind bellowed through the open space between him and Park as she stepped out of the helicopter.
While the snow that had covered the hillside the night before had stopped, there were at least six inches on the ground.
Park took off her helmet and walked up to the elder. "Are you the elder?" she asked.
Sun looked at her and winced. He'd heard about the Devil's Daughter from Pyongyang. He knew it was her. She was beautiful and young and looked like the epitome of evil. He knew what she was capable of. He knew what she'd done to the people. "What are you doing in the quiet village of Wung?" he asked.
"I am here because of the dead soldiers," she said. "I'd heard that there was an attack."
"Your soldiers attacked our people. We responded."
"So you don't deny it."
"Were we not to protect ourselves?"
Park looked into the old man's eyes. She despised what she saw. She saw weakness. She hated it.
"You'll regret that answer," she said. She made her way back to the Hind D. "You'll regret your insolence."
The village elder stood defiantly and watched as the Hind D rose back into the air. He knew what he had to do. He had to buy the Liberators time, even if it meant the destruction of everything he'd once called home.
Forty-Seven
The next morning, Hunter, Yong, Kim, and the rest of the Liberators made their way toward the communication station atop of Chum Chak.
Hunter had Yong on his back. He had to carry the Liberator leader up the hill from the base camp. Kim was ahead of them with the rest of the Liberators. They'd all been hiking from the base camp for four hours.
Hunter breathed heavily with every step. He could feel his body tremble. He could feel his hands shake.
"Even though you're a cripple, you weigh a ton," Hunter said to Yong.
"I'm not a cripple."
"How so? You can't use your legs."
"A cripple is defined as someone who's deprived of functioning normally. My normal has always been this. I could never use my legs. Thus, I don't consider myself a cripple."
"Semantics."
"And anyway, you need me for this… you should stop complaining. Without me, you won't find your President."
"All I'm saying is you should lay off the pork. I thought your people were impoverished."
"Hah, you make me laugh, American. You're a funny guy."
"You're the first person to ever call me funny."
"Maybe I'm the first person who isn't scared of you."
Hunter considered that. Yong was unlike anyone he'd ever met before. There was a sereneness to his purpose, a directness. It was almost as if he already knew his fate and had accepted it. He knew how he would die soon, and maybe that was why he didn't fear death.
They continued to hike up the steep hill for another thirty minutes. The sky went from a bright blue to dark orange. The snow was blindingly white, but the shape of the tower's main building emerged slowly above the crest of their path. It looked like every other military installation Hunter had seen in his life. Three buildings made up the station. Each one was about three floors tall, and all were constructed well enough to survive the mountain range's harsh climes.
"Drop me here," Yong said. "You, Kim, and the rest
of the Liberators will need to clear the place out before we enter."
Hunter dropped Yong on to the snowy ground. He didn't really take much care of it. The kid would be okay.
"Are you going to be okay here?" he asked Yong.
"I'll be fine."
"Okay," Hunter said. "I'm going to clear out the communication building. Once it's empty, I'll come back for you."
Before leaving, Hunter handed Yong his M9.
"What? I don't need this. I am a terrible shot. I will miss everyone who approaches."
"It's not to shoot the bad guys, kid. It's to take your own life. If they catch you, they'll flay you alive."
Yong took hold of the M9 and closed his eyes. He looked up at Hunter and nodded.
Hunter turned to Kim, who had pulled out his binoculars and was scouting the building's entrance. "You ready?" Hunter asked.
"Yes," Kim said. "I count two sentries at the front door."
"Have you raided one before?"
"No."
Hunter rolled his eyes. "Just follow my lead. Make sure the rest of the Liberators follow suit."
Hunter snatched the binoculars from Kim's hands. He wanted to check the buildings around the station himself. He lifted the binoculars up and scanned the area.
He spotted the two sentries Kim had mentioned.
The whole place looked quiet, desolate. It looked like it was going to be an easy mission. Kill the two sentries, move in and take out anyone inside.
Still, he wanted to be cautious.
"We'll take a stealthy approach."
"Of course."
Kim relayed the orders to the rest of the Liberators.
Hunter lifted up his M4 and made sure that it was ready for action. He turned back to Kim. "Follow me and make sure the rest of the men are quiet."
Kim nodded and quietly gave the command to the rest of the men.
Hunter guided Kim along the edge of the cliff. He made sure that he was out of the two sentries' sight lines who were guarding the main building.
