“Different.”
“That bad?”
“You look as beautiful as ever, sweetie,” Mrs. Rincon said, barely able to keep her voice from cracking.
“Go, quickly. Grab an overnight bag and let’s go.”
There was still a little resistance to the idea of going with her. Eventually she prevailed on them both. As they were walking down the front steps to the SUV, Danny pulled a baseball cap from his bag and fitted it onto her head.
“That’s so you don’t freak out your mom. Break it to her gently, you know.”
Emily laughed, and he opened the back door for his mom.
The black cap sported a stylized picture of an orange bird wearing a similar cap on its head. Laura knew it was her son’s favorite cap, the one he saved in a box in the closet, a memento of a day spent with his father in Baltimore a few years ago.
She watched as Emily opened his door for him. Before he could get in she placed her hands on both sides of his face and kissed him.
“If I make it back in one piece, I’ll go to the prom with you.”
It was difficult to fathom the nature of their relationship. Her son was totally smitten, that much was clear. It wasn’t hard to see why. But she was almost impossible to read, even inscrutable. She seemed to have some sort of attachment to him. The scale of the events swirling around her just made it even harder to take the measure of her feelings.
~~~~~~~
By the time they arrived at the estate it was almost dark and the reality of the situation Emily described to them just a couple hours earlier began to sink in. There were men with guns everywhere. The main house looked like the tactical headquarters for a military operation. Hard-eyed people bustled about as they walked in the front door. They all seemed to know who she was already. Some of them even recognized Danny. In each room they entered, everyone took notice of Emily, deferred to her, hung on her every word, though she hardly said anything. She introduced them all around. This was her home, these were her people.
Jesse flinched when he saw the new haircut peeking out around the edges of her cap.
“Wait ‘til your mother sees.”
He led the way into the dining room, where a hard-eyed woman named Connie was huddled over a large map with a bruiser named Ethan.
“We have a plan,” she said, looking at Emily. “There are a few complexities in it we’ll have to go over with you.” By ‘complexities’ she appeared to mean huge gaps where all sorts of things could go wildly wrong.
“Let me get these two settled in the cabin first,” Emily replied.
“I know that area,” Danny said, pointing at the map. “It’s over by McGlone in West Virginia. I worked at a camp near there last summer.”
“What can you tell us about it,” Connie asked.
“It’s really quiet out there, very isolated. Mainly woods and hills, a few farms.”
“Any place to land a small plane?”
“Yeah, probably. If the wing span’s not too wide and it can take some bumps, there are lots of places. Most of these roads are barely traveled. A plane could probably set down here,” he said pointing to one road seemingly chosen at random, “and take off again thirty minutes later and no one would ever know it had been there.”
“It’s like you thought,” Ethan said to Connie. “They can’t risk surface transport. A plane’s the only way.”
“C’mon guys,” Emily said to Danny and his mom. “This way.”
As she walked down the hill behind her son and his girlfriend—she could finally say that now, his girlfriend, though her satisfaction with the idea was not as simple and unalloyed as she had expected it to be a few months earlier. As they walked down the hill, she couldn’t help marveling at how she belonged to what seemed like a world apart. It’s like these people lived in their own park, while she squeezed her son’s life into a little house in a little town. What was he getting himself into with this girl?
Of course, Emily wasn’t rich. She was just the chauffeur’s daughter. But it was apparent she wasn’t unconnected to the wealth she had grown up surrounded by. The girl was like a fulcrum for life forces greater than herself, and much greater than Mrs. Rincon had ever encountered first hand before. And not all those forces were benevolent. She had often watched Emily with admiration. Her son fancied himself to be in love before she’d even had a chance to size her up, before she even knew who she was. She used to worry she would break her son’s heart. Now the dangers looming over her made a simple heartbreak seem trivial, perhaps even desirable.
On the way back up the hill to the main house she walked a few steps behind the young people. She noticed he didn’t hold her hand. Was he afraid to? It was hard not to admire her figure, so slender and yet exuding a surprising strength. The more she thought about her, the more she thought Emily was just a little scary. Had she been scary when she was her age? Probably not. Maybe she was a little afraid of her, too.
In the kitchen, Emily asked the cook if there would be a dinner, or if other plans had been made. She behaved everywhere on the estate as though she were the daughter of the family, Mrs. Rincon observed. And they all treat her that way, too. It’s like she owns the place.
“There’s a spread on the sideboard in the dining room, but no formal sit down dinner,” said the cook. “Barbecue pork with greens and muffins. The greens were your mother’s suggestion, specially for you. I think people have been helping themselves already.”
~~~~~~~
When they entered the dining room Andie, Yuki and Dr. Tarleton were already there. Red-eyed, Andie was being comforted by the other two women. It was clearly a relief to her to meet them, to have an excuse to pull herself together. When Yuki got a good look at her daughter there was a fresh distraction.
“Your hair! What happened to it?” she wailed. “What have you done?”
“Hi, Mom. You like my new look?” she said blithely, taking off her new hat. It seemed to lighten a mood that was otherwise as dark and heavy as could be. At least it was something new and shocking to occupy everyone’s attention for an all too brief moment.
“Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. This came the other day,” she said as she handed her mom the acceptance letter from the Naval Academy. “It completely slipped my mind until this afternoon.”
Yuki tore it open and tried to read it, but she just couldn’t focus on what was written there. She handed it to Andie.
“Congratulations,” she said, her mood truly brightened for the first time in a couple of days. Hers was a Navy family, so naturally she was pleased to think Emily might attend the Academy. Emily smiled at her. Yuki’s attention was now caught.
“Is that you’re first choice? What about the other places?”
“Oh, I got into all of them. But I think it’s gonna be either Charlottesville or the Academy. I don’t want to go far away.” It was a relief to share such ordinary, mundane concerns with her, to take all their minds off the horrors that presently preoccupied them. The shift in mood didn’t last long.
“Mom, have you had a chance to talk with Jan, I mean Dr. Tarleton, about my test results?” After an uncomfortable moment or two, Yuki admitted she hadn’t. “Well, now’s as good a time as any. Danny and Mrs. Rincon deserve to know too.”
She didn’t know what Yuki might say to them, or if she’d tell them anything at all. She just needed to occupy all of them while she consulted with Connie and Ethan about ‘the plan’ they’d been working on since last night.
~~~~~~~
“It doesn’t matter that North Korea is a dictatorship,” Connie said. “The Kim’s can’t really control everything. Human institutions don’t work like that. There are lots of factions within the KDSS. Even if they all nominally answer to the Kim family, rivalries and splinter groups abound. They work in secret from each other and occasionally at cross purposes.”
“So you think Miss Park works for one of these groups?” Emily asked.
“If I’m right about who she is, then yes. A few years back, a General
Park fell from grace, so to speak, over a failure in the biotech warfare division he ran. Michael knows all about him.”
Emily felt that familiar, nauseating clutch in the pit of her stomach. Just the thought of more lunatics and zealots chasing the same dream her grandfather had, it was enough to make her feel physically sick. She made an effort to focus on what Connie was telling her.
“We think your Miss Park is a member of his family, perhaps even a daughter or granddaughter,” Ethan continued. “She may be trying to restore her family’s position by turning the General’s failure into a success. It sounds like a desperate scheme, but that sort of fits the moves we think they’ve made so far. They seem a little desperate.”
“That probably means they’ll make some strange alliances,” said Connie.
“Like with Burzynski or Meacham?” Emily asked.
“They sound more like Burzynski’s style,” Connie said. “There have also been rumors of secret genetic experiments and a bio-tech project conducted in Petropavlosk in the Kamchatsky Krai. Making a deal with the Russians would be a desperate move, but it would certainly conceal their activities from rivals within the KDSS. And presenting a fully functional, genetically enhanced soldier for inspection in Pyongyang would surely propel them into a renewed position of prominence and authority.”
“Michael wants us to plan for an assault to take Anthony back,” Ethan said.
“But that’s not my plan,” Emily said. “Unless I let them take me, I’ll never be rid of them.” Ethan shuddered at Emily’s words. “I know you don’t like to hear it, but there’s no other way.”
“Fine,” said Connie. “If the rescue doesn’t work, here’s the backup plan. We all agree, Petropavlosk is most likely where they’ll take you. We can’t use satellite data to track the plane without alerting Meacham, so we’ll have to rely on spotters at airfields along the most likely route. But in the end, we just have to make a guess and prepare for that. The next most likely destination is Chongjin. It’s far enough from Pyongyang to offer Colonel Park some freedom to conduct an unsanctioned operation.”
“So I take it this is the ‘complexity’ you were warning me about earlier.”
“Yeah,” Ethan said, sheepishly. “We don’t know much more than what you just heard. Those are our best guesses. And we won’t be able to offer you any assistance until after you escape. We’re hoping you’ll end up either on the Bering Sea or the Sea of Japan. But wherever it is, you’re mainly gonna be on your own.”
Emily took a deep breath and tried to collect her thoughts. Even if Miss Park was running an unsupported, rogue operation, she would be holding all the cards. Emily would be on her own, a teenager struggling against hardened adults, trained agents, and who knows, maybe even genetically enhanced soldiers, if they’ve succeeded in making any. All of her friends would be half a world away, unable to help her through the darkest moments. Even she had to concede the chances of her survival were miniscule. And death might not even be the worst thing Miss Park had planned for her.
One part of her wanted to let her tears out, to seek out her mother and curl up in her lap. Just the thought of it all practically made her weep, futile as that would be. No, she had to be strong, for Anthony... and for Li Li. She had to find the strength somewhere inside herself to go on. She tried to breathe through her panic. That’s where the answer had to be, and where she’d have to look for her strength. She felt Connie’s arm on her shoulder.
“You okay, kid?” Connie asked. Emily smiled feebly. “I know, it’s an impossible burden we’re putting on you. Let’s just make sure the rescue works.”
“No. That’s not my plan,” she said in a voice made newly firm by her resolve. “Tell me the rest of it.”
Connie looked at Ethan for a brief moment. They nodded at each other, and she continued.
“Petropavlosk sits on Avacha Bay. It’s a huge natural harbor, about fifteen miles across. The south end is dominated by the submarine base at Vilyuchinsk. They carry nukes, so security will be high. If that’s where you find yourself, don’t trust the base personnel. If the Koreans have set up shop there, it means they have tacit support from someone important at the base. Wherever you end up, your best chance is to commandeer a boat and head due west. Petropavlosk is at the north end of the bay. Make your way there and you should be able to find commercial and recreational boats. I’ll be waiting for you at the Coast Guard station on Attu. Can you sail?”
“Yes, and Anthony can help. What about a powerboat?”
“A sailboat is a better bet, slower, but fewer mechanical risks. One thing in your favor: the prevailing wind this time of year is from the north or northwest. Count on at least a half a day to get beyond the twelve mile limit, maybe another few hours for us to reach you. I’ll be monitoring this frequency for your signal. Make it that far and we’ll come get you.”
“It sounds like a pretty tall order, doesn’t it?”
“Not so much on my end,” she said with a smile. “If you have the kids with you, you’ll want to make sure there’s food and water on board.”
“Got it, food, water, twelve miles east, radio signal.”
“If we’re wrong about Kamchatka and you find yourself in Chongjin, the plan is similar, except it looks like the winds in the Sea of Japan will be coming out of the south. Sailing east-northeast will bring you into Russian waters within three hours. Your mom and Ethan will be waiting for your signal in Vladivostok. Michael’s also called in a favor from a friend in the JDF, who’ll have a patrol boat waiting just outside the twelve mile limit. The only thing is you probably won’t find sailboats in that part of the country. A fishing boat is better than a navy launch. It’ll attract less attention. Send the signal as soon as you’re out of sight of land.”
~~~~~~~
“I don’t like bringing Jiang along tonight,” Ethan finally said after Emily went to check on her mother. “How do we know we can trust him?”
“You sure you can trust me?” Connie replied archly. He stammered a bit, taken aback by her candor. “Why do you think you’re on point on this operation instead of Karansky? He’s been with Michael a lot longer.”
“He’s too old for this kind of thing,” Ethan replied uncertainly.
“You know we’re all here for one reason only: because she trusts us. And she trusts Jiang. That’s good enough for me.”
-back to top-
Chapter 19
A Meeting on the Road
The drive from Charlottesville took a little over two hours. Emily rode with Jesse, most of the way in grim, resolute silence. She would have welcomed some idle chatter, but didn’t quite know how begin. Apparently neither did Jesse. It was some small consolation to imagine the scintillating conversation between Ethan and Jiang in the lead SUV. The taillights occasionally disappeared around a bend as they neared their destination and the roads got smaller and darker. The nearly full moon provided the only illumination, other than what came from their headlights.
“We’ve been followed since the interstate,” Jesse growled. “About a half mile behind. I think we should signal Ethan. He’ll want to turn back.”
Emily craned her neck to look. She sighed and sat back in her seat.
“No,” she said. “It doesn’t make any difference.”
Jesse stared at her for a moment. Perhaps he only just then saw the real depth of her determination. They drove on.
Rounding a dark corner, the headlights caught the tail section of a small single engine plane. Jesse pulled up on the left side of Ethan’s SUV, about fifty yards from the plane. To get any closer would bring them into easy range of small arms fire. They sat quietly and watched for movement in the plane.
“Twin engine, looks like it seats seven, probably has a range of nine hundred miles,” said Jesse, nervously working through details out loud. “That’s more than we planned for. They’re probably intending to switch planes somewhere in Illinois or Indiana. We don’t have coverage that far out yet.”
A lone man in a dark suit stood behind the wing, holding an automatic weapon
“Kill the lights,” Emily said. “They won’t come out until you do.”
The moonlight was sufficient to see two small figures emerge from the plane followed by Miss Park. They appeared to be tied together with hoods over their heads. Emily moved to get out.
“Wait. We can’t see their faces,” Jesse cried. “How do we know it’s them?”
Emily stood next to the open door and called to them. “Take off the hoods.”
After a moment Miss Park snatched the hoods off the children’s heads. Emily leaned into the other SUV and spoke across Ethan.
“Is it Li Li?” Jiang peered through binoculars. She didn’t need to ask about Anthony. He stood upright and defiant like a little soldier. She recognized the posture she had taught him.
“Yes. I think it’s her.”
“You think?”
“It’s hard to tell in this light.” Ethan flashed the high beams. “Yes. It’s her,” Jiang said in a voice that almost cracked.
A self-satisfied smile spread across Ethan’s face, as if he just then thought he understood Jiang.
“You two wait here,” said Emily in a commanding tone. “Jesse, you come with me to collect the kids.”
Ethan got out and held his own automatic rifle so that the man by the tail section could not fail to see it.
Emily tossed Danny’s cap back into the SUV. She wasted no time, striding quickly across the distance separating them from the plane, stopping roughly halfway in between. Miss Park pushed her charges in front of her until she drew them up a few feet away. The man by the tail section came up behind her, his gun slung back across his shoulder.
“Anthony, are you okay,” Jesse asked.
He nodded vigorously without saying a word.
“I’m here for you, Anthony,” said Emily as she patted him on the shoulder. “No matter what happens next, don’t worry. I’m here.” She crouched in front of the girl and smiled. “Li Li,” she said, then turned to Anthony “Take care of her, Anthony, no matter what.” He nodded bravely.
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