'Dear One' Breathes Fire

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  It was time for the final briefing. All sat around the war room table with a giant satellite picture of North Korea's west coast and China east coast behind him. Brad said, "I've decided to add the fourth team to our mission. Team four will lead and its responsibility is to stop the train. After that has been accomplished, teams four will double back and pickup the daughter of the Leader. Let me be clear here tonight. Team four will lead the pack to our objective. Like before in Afghanistan, if the mission is subject to failure, any person, including me, is left behind. Each of us has a GPS sewn into our uniforms. Rations of pills for survival are available in our packs. We are scheduled in twenty minutes to prepare for takeoff. The planted GPS is sending out clear and precise signals. In a short while we'll intercept the train. Good luck to all of us. Any questions?"

  Not a sound was heard except the distant firing of fireworks on the dock. Literally thousands were watching; including all of the ship's crew. For extra good measure, the USA donated at least two hours worth of fireworks.

  Brad looked out the back end of the ship. It was still overcast, but no rain or wind or snow. Brad felt good about the weather, but something was nagging him about the mission. One should never underestimate the enemy. The Kim family had ruled for two generations and now the third generation was being groomed for power. It was time to throw a monkey wrench into the future of North Korea.

  ****

  Saddled up ready to go, Brad marked the time on his magic watch. It would automatically record the start and finish time of the mission. It was gift from the CIA and a nice present for sure.

  Now he was riding in team four leading the way due west. He was in the back seat; if you could call it a seat. The small seat was totally uncomfortable, but all would have to endure. These stealth helicopters had been modified to have two men up front and could squeeze two men in back. Brad wondered where the other man would be if there were two of them. Space was at a premium.

  Both pilots wore night vision helmets, but Brad abstained for the time being. Soon he felt the chopper turn and head north up the middle of the Yellow Sea. Not really being able to see much, Brad vision of the landscape was in his mind. He had total confidence in the pilot and of those behind him. They knew their business and had the route etched in their minds. Brad let his mind drift to the pickup and escape procedure. They didn't have a lot of time as the third and last train would not be far behind them. He figured less than ten minutes on the ground and be up flying south to safety.

  Brad was also impressed by how quiet it was flying in a stealth chopper. The military spared no expense to achieve a means to an end. Now the pilot turned his head and pointed to his helmet. Brad realized they were close and put his night vision helmet on. He squirmed around to get ready to disable the engine of the train when he felt the chopper land on the ground. They were early.

  Brad rose up to look out and saw they were facing the east next to the rail track. When the lead train came, they would lift off and circle around to pounce on the middle train. The best intelligence said that it was from twenty minutes to an hour after the lead train pass through before the Leaders train followed suit.

  It wasn't long before a light was seen coming from the east track. Brad felt the adrenalin flowing. The chopper team was parked far enough away from the tracks to not be spotted. It was beginning to get cold as the warmth slowly seeped out of the cabin. The train passed by doing around 60 kilometers an hour, or less than forty miles an hour. The track conditions were in such a state that any higher speed might cause a train to derail.

  Brad counted five cars plus the engine as they went by. All was dark inside except the engine crew. Now the wait for the real thing was upon the teams. While they waited Brad checked his weapons of choice. He possessed a handheld machine pistol, a nine mm Glock hand gun, a Rambo type knife and wire for silent kills. He hoped not use any of the weapons, but in case of survival, he would use what was necessary to see his family again.

  He checked his watch and it had been about fifteen minutes since the first train went by. Now he saw the pilot motion with his hand a tiny light coming their way. Very soon it would be game time. The pilot started his chopper up. Soon he led the way in a big circle hugging the rice fields with the other three following. The pilot gained some altitude and hovered about a quarter mile from their intended attack point.

  Brad saw the train slowly pass and a few seconds later they were in a line over the train doing what they had practiced time and time again. Brad saw some red flashes behind them as their chopper hovered right above the cab of the train engine firing two gas rockets to knock the engineer and any others that might be riding up front. Now it was up to Brad and the other SEAL to drop onto the moving train and stop the engine.

  Both men dropped at the same time hugging the roof while the train kept moving. Brad took the right side and the SEAL took the left side. The door wasn't locked. He opened the door to let the gas out as the SEAL on the other side did the same. A cross ventilation cleared the smoke out in a hurry. A red emergency switch to stop the train was clearly visible. Brad punched it and the train came to a halt less than a minute later. Sleeping bodies lay on the cramped floor.

  Brad left the other SEAL on standby and hurried back to the passenger cars. The other three teams were busy. They had to use plastic to open the doors. Brad guessed maybe five or six minutes had gone by. He looked down the track to see if the train following was in view. Brad ran from car to car. The word he received was yes, we have the Leader and his youngest son. They haven't found the daughter yet. Brad ran back to the front car and discovered they had found the daughter. All three of their packages were loaded into the coffins.

  Brad, through his headset told the pilots to take off and he would be right behind them. Then as he ran toward the engine, a train light showed behind them. There was not a lot of time to lift off and he increased his speed. Suddenly he tripped over god knows what and upended landing on his head and shoulder. His ear plug fell out as he tried to recover. His head was spinning and he said into his mouth piece, "Take off, that's an order."

  Brad knew he was in deep trouble here. He stuffed his machine pistol into his coat and wiggled his way under the rear of the train engine. Shoulder in deep pain, head throbbing, he found a niche under the train to hide in. There was no doubt the North Korean military would be very angry.

  Slowly coming back to full consciousness, Brad improved his position over some crossbars. He felt for the time being he was safe, but had no idea where they would take the train.

  ****

  Mike had never been so angry in his life. Not even when he had to leave Brad in Afghanistan wounded. Now they were doing the very same thing again: leaving their commander to the enemy. Mike would never forgive himself leaving Brad, but orders were orders. If only he could have traded places with Brad. As each day went by, Mike went into deep depression.

  Silence was the time to reflect as the stealth helicopters retraced their route back to the ship. As they neared the ship, the fireworks were still lighting the sky. The choppers hung just over the water and all landed safely aboard.

  General Pratt was waiting as each helicopter emptied and his son never got out of team four's cabin. He strode over as Mike stepped up with a look of despair on his face. At first, as he said later, "I thought my son was dead. And then when I found out he was MIA, I was both scared and angry at the same time."

  The call to Seoul was hard for General Pratt to do. Sujin was upbeat and said, "Father of Brad. Don't worry about your son. He can take care of himself. Be patient and take care of what he left you. I'm sure the president will be grateful."

  The call to the president was not an easy one to do for General Pratt. To tell the president that mission accomplished, but the team leader MIA caught in his throat. From that conversation to the next orders were followed to the letter.

  The youngest son would be taken to Edwards Air Base and locked in solitary to await a debriefing by the CIA [That would
change when they found the Dear Leader dead in his coffin from a stroke]. The father would be taken to Cuba and locked away. The daughter needed special handling by an expert. She needed a friend and a long period of mind changing was necessary. A mental facility was chosen near Maryland.

  Nancy and Billy were notified and told that business as usual was to take place. Reports needed filled out; Wendy and Agent Jones needed to return to the Round House to safe keep the homestead.

  Chapter 12

  Brad was simply amazed at how many troops ran back and forth along the train on both sides. A few of them had flashlights and occasionally a light would shine underneath, but then quickly move on. Brad could hear a lot of shouting and orders flying around. He shut his eyes and tried to rest. His shoulder was killing him and the cold was seeping into his bones. A dull throbbing was felt in his head, but none of his injuries were life threatening.

  Brad took a peek at his watch and saw an hour had gone by. The remainder of the train passengers and crew were slowly waking up with a headache. The back train provided an engineer. Brad thought about rolling out, but best to ride it out till it reached a station. He thought correctly that Sinjiju would be the destination. The hard part would be escaping across the river to China.

  The train moved slowly which Brad gave thanks. The cold was similar to Afghanistan when he and Sujin were hiding from the Taliban. He needed an energy lift and a pain killer. It was hard to move his arm as his shoulder was killing him. In the position he was in, resting his weight on his good shoulder, made it difficult to reach into his pockets. Also inside his shirt next to his side was a flask of water. By the time the train pulled into a dim lighted station in Sinjiju, Brad had finally downed a pain killer and had eaten a power bar.

  Now the wait would begin. It would be hours before he could roll out from under the train. Then what? Here he was dressed in an American uniform. How could he just wander across the river dressed like this? In addition, the river was mostly frozen over. Ideally, he thought, why not catch a train back the way he came. If he was on the last car he could roll out and catch a fishing boat in a small town. The more options he thought of the colder his body became. He really needed to move.

  It was still dark outside and dim light in the stationhouse. His watch said four am. He had about three to four hours of darkness to find a new hiding place that was warmer. A train pulled slowly in from going west to east he presumed. It was a freight train apparently from China for goods going to Pyongyang.

  It was now or never as the train came to a stop. Brad let himself down to the rocky space between the tracks. His shoulder was hurting but not so bad he couldn't use his arm a little. He stuck his head out and looked up and down the track. A lone person with a flashlight walked from the back of the freight train to the front. Brad rolled under the rail car and found a place to rest on some cross bars until the guard passed by. After he slowly walked by, Brad rolled out and bending low quietly hustled to the rear car of the train. Dropping down and crawling underneath a car that probably served as a caboose, but in this case held some military guards. Regardless, they would never notice him or see him drop down as the train moved towards the capital.

  Climbing to the sub frame, which was crisscrossed with steel bars, Brad settled in for the wait. Meanwhile, he ate some high protein food and washed it down with water, including two more pain killers. His head hurt like hell, but his vision wasn't blurred. He heard voices coming and as he couldn't see or count, but saw at least six men climb the steps into the caboose. It wasn't but a few minutes and the train slowly made its way out of the station headed east.

  Brad was prepared to drop off as soon as the city lights disappeared. The only good thing was the slow moving train was in no hurry. Dropping down to the tracks with a train moving around thirty kilometers an hour would still shock the body.

  Once again Brad checked his watch. An hour had passed and they were clearly out of the city now in the rice fields. Brad thought it was now or never and the more darkness the better for him to find a place to hide during the daylight hours. He made sure all was securely tight and the he dropped crossways to the tracks and rolled with the experience of a martial arts man. With every roll his bad shoulder hurt like hell. He finally figured it out that his shoulder was dislocated.

  After coming to a stop, Brad watched the train moving off on its scheduled route; none the wiser that it held the mastermind who kidnapped the Dear Leader and his family. Soon the train was out of sight and sound. Brad stood up and inspected his pocket contents and made sure he had his weapons, if needed.

  The ground was frozen as he made his way southeast towards the coast. Brad carried a vivid map in his head of the area. He was looking for a place to rest up during the daylight hours and travel at night. At first he was scared of raising an alert from dogs, but then he reasoned that few North Korean farmers had food to spare for dogs. Another thought, as he walked was befriending a North Korean family. However, they would probably turn him in for a reward. No, he thought, he must remain out of sight to any and all until he could locate a fishing boat.

  ****

  "What the hell do you mean he's missing in action," screamed the President Samuel Bates. "How could that happen? Jesus if he's discovered in North Korea it will be a field day for propaganda and our image is down the toilet. Next, I'm told when they tried to revive the North Korean Leader, he was dead. Lord this is turning into a nightmare. Steve, what is the latest you've got on Brad? Anything promising?"

  "Mr. President, we've heard nothing from North Korea so if it's a no news is good news, I feel Brad is loose in North Korea and will eventually make his way back to South Korea or China. We are continuing to receive short messages from our Mr. Park. He still thinks it will take some time before a plan is put together on how to address the loss of the entire Kim family."

  "What do we know about this military second in command a Mr. Ri, Yong ho?"

  "He's a war monger and could be trouble if we don’t make our political and economic move soon," said Steve.

  "How about the daughter, is she forthcoming or standing firm saying nothing?"

  "Sir, she's just now adjusting to her situation on her way to a comfortable place in Maryland. I'm hoping she will be open to vast economic reforms in North Korea. I'd like to see her lead her country to a free market economy. She is intelligent and well educated in both France and North Korea."

  "Very well then, I want to know any and all updates as they filter in. We have a hot potato here and needless to say, it must be handled with care."

  ****

  Unknown to Brad, but as he walked towards the Yellow Sea, a meeting was taking place in Sinjiju amongst the most powerful men in North Korea. At the head of the table, Ri, Yang ho was clearly the leader in charge. He said, "The Americans are behind this kidnapping. When it turns daylight, I want the track walked for any evidence we can use against them. Let it be known that until our Dear Leader returns, I'm assuming command of the military and of the civilian government. My first order is to prepare a train for travel. We'll use the lead train of our Dear One's stable of trains. Fill it up with soldiers. Anyone finding anything will be substantially rewarded."

  In Pyongyang Mr. Park received a coded message that a member of the team was lost near Sinjiju. He immediately purchased a ticket for the west coast city of Sinuiju. He wore a military uniform blending in nicely with any and all military. As he boarded the train he noticed it was sparsely occupied and then he heard the thunder of boots on cement as at least two hundred soldiers boarded the train. He befriended a military man his age and asked what was happening. He told him that they'd been called to Sinuiju to begin a search for what he didn't know.

  Park decided he would join this group as seven am chimed the departure of the train. He continued listening with his ears open for any information forthcoming. Park moved up where he could hear some officers discussing the operation. After an hour or so, he figured out that something major had happened
along the tracks that directly involved the Leader of North Korea.

  The train slowed down and came to a stop. All troops were told to line up outside for orders. Park followed the others. When he was outside, he saw another train stopped from the other direction. The soldiers were given orders to comb the tracks and the sides of the tracks to see if any evidence was left from the kidnappers. It was finally revealed the Leaders family was kidnapped.

  A line went from either side of the tracks about one hundred meters wide. An officer set the pace looking down. Park had maneuvered his way to just off the side of the tracks. A like group was coming the other way towards them. Park thought it a bit strange that this was the very place the Batt team rendered North Korea leaderless. His heart nearly burst with joy.

  About halfway to the middle where the opposite line of troops would meet the other line, a holler went out with a soldier holding something up over his head running to an officer. All troops ran to see what was discovered. Park was among the first to arrive seeing something like a microphone or mike being examined by a group of officers. It was later determined that it was Brad's that fell off after he gave the order to fly off. Crawling under the train left the evidence Americans were involved.

  Also it was pointed out that some blood was on the side of the tracks not far from where the mike was found. That put a bug in the North Koreans head that maybe a member was hurt and left behind. It wasn't long before an organized search began. It was assumed, if indeed anyone was left behind, he would be headed south to the coast. Park was among those who began walking in a line towards the Yellow Sea. He'd been well trained and now he needed to apply that training to the fullest. Now was the time to think like an American who was determined to escape by boat.