“Possibly. It definitely gave him the advantage of surprise. So Sean never told you what the goals are for the attack?”
“No. He never has, Kim. I have no idea if the plan is to take down the target systems or steal or destroy the data. If I knew what the goals were, I could focus the training better. Instead I have to consider all the possibilities, which is really difficult.”
“I can see why you’re so stressed,” Kim said. “You should relax tonight and just have a good time.”
“We all should. I arranged dinner reservations at the Shang Palace. We should have time for one more drink and then get some dinner.”
Kim could see that the alcohol was having an effect on Shen.
“I think we should go now, Shen. We can always order drinks and wine at the restaurant. Cai and I haven’t had anything to eat all day.”
As they started to walk to the restaurant, Shen stumbled. Kim grabbed him before he fell.
“Do you have your room key, Lian?” Kim asked.
“It’s in Shen’s wallet. He has the room keys for both suites.”
Kim got the keys and then helped Lian get Shen to the room and into bed. Kim and Cai then went to their suite, looked at each other, and burst out laughing.
“I think Shen is going to have one monster hangover,” Kim said.
“And one angry girlfriend,” Cai added.
“I’m really hungry, Cai. This time you select the food.”
“Okay, how about the goose liver terrine as an appetizer and the stir-fried shrimp and steamed cod fish as the main dishes?”
“Sure, what about dessert?”
“Is mousse with blueberry coulis okay?”
“It’ll certainly be something I’ve never had before.”
“It won’t be the only thing tonight that you’ve never had before,” Cai said with a smile.
“Sounds like the real dessert will be à la carte.”
“Yes, and we can have seconds or even thirds.”
Cai took a quick shower while Kim called room service and ordered their dinner and a bottle of champagne. Kim walked back to the bedroom and joined Cai, who had put on a hotel robe. He took off his clothes and lay on the bed while she joined him. Kim kissed her and whispered in her ear. “Dinner will be a while. Let’s start with dessert.”
Cai smiled, and took off her robe as Kim kissed her passionately. They enjoyed each other several times until they were spent. Later, Kim gave Cai her robe while he put his on to answer the knock on the door. Kim signed for the dinner and looked at all the dishes.
“Look at all this food, Cai. The colors are almost as incredible as the aroma. I have never seen anything like it.”
“I know. Try the goose liver. It melts in your mouth.”
Kim kept staring at the food. “I’m sure it does, but I feel guilty eating this when many in my country are starving.”
“Try not to think about that, Kim. Let’s just enjoy the moment.”
After dinner they both had the mousse with champagne and decided to watch some of the latest movies on the satellite channels.
“Have you ever seen an American movie, Kim?”
“No, the only movies we have in North Korea are based on the propaganda that the government promotes.”
“Let’s watch an adventure movie. How about Iron Man? It’s really good.”
“Sure, let’s watch it.”
As they watched, Cai could see that Kim was totally transfixed by the movie. After it ended, she asked him if he liked it.
“It was great. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“What’d you like best?”
“The Iron Man suit. If I had a suit like that I could get my family out of North Korea. Too bad it isn’t real.”
“I believe you’ll get them out, Kim. You’re my Iron Man.”
Kim moved closer to Cai and began to run his hands down Cai’s thighs as she moaned softly. He deftly moved his fingers up her back and toward her magnificent breasts as she whispered, “I love you, Kim.”
“I love you, too, Cai.”
Kim picked her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her down softly on the bed and then joined her. They made love until they both were exhausted and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The next morning, Kim was awakened by the sound of the room phone ringing. He assumed it was the front desk asking if they wanted breakfast. Instead it was Shen, who was talking so softly Kim could barely hear him.
“There was a message on my phone from Sean,” Shen said. “He’s going to be here this evening and wants to meet with me. We need to talk, Kim.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you in your suite in about an hour.”
Kim and Cai arrived at Shen’s suite and knocked on the door. They were both shocked when they saw him.
“Are you okay, Shen? You look like you’ve had a horrible night.”
“That’s because I did. Lian left me last night, and then Sean called this morning about this meeting. I’m worried about the project and its goals. Lian keeps telling me not to worry and just take the money, but what if this is a trap? I could be putting everyone in jeopardy.”
“Who do you think would want to trap us and why? I don’t think it’s a trap, Shen. I think there are goals for this project that we’re not aware of and probably aren’t supposed to know. What do you think, Cai?”
“I agree. We need to get Sean to tell us what the project goals are, if he knows.”
“The only way we can be certain is to question Sean. Are you ready for that, Shen?”
“It’s the only option left. But how do we do it, Kim?”
“I know just the people who can help.”
“Who’s that?” Shen asked.
“Tweedledum and Tweedledee,” Cai said with a grin.
“Who are they?” Shen asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“They’re just Cai’s names for some Korean friends of mine who are very good at getting answers. When does Sean get to the hotel?”
“He didn’t say, but based on past experience, it’ll probably be late this evening. It’s a long flight, so he won’t contact me until late tomorrow morning or even early afternoon. That’s been the pattern in our previous meetings.”
“Where do you normally meet?”
“We always meet in my suite and have lunch while we talk. I don’t know why, but he always insists on meeting in my room.”
“Probably because he’s afraid that his own room is bugged. The Chinese government has been known to do that when American businessmen visit China. He’s probably just being cautious. I’ll need access to this room.”
“No problem. Here’s my room key, Kim. I need to find Lian and apologize for last night. Who’s doing the interrogation?”
“Actually you’ll be doing the interrogation, Shen.”
Shen looked shocked.
“Don’t worry,” Kim said. “He’ll never know he was interrogated. I plan to dose him with a very sophisticated drug that reduces anxiety. It normally takes five to ten minutes to take effect. The subject will become relaxed and may become very talkative and friendly. You’ll definitely see the difference. When you meet, do you order the lunch or does he?”
“I call in the order to room service. He always calls and tells me what he wants before he comes to my suite.”
“Good. Instead of calling room service I want you to call me on my cell phone. I’ll place the order and have it delivered to my suite where I’ll dose his meal. You’ll need to tell me what you’re ordering so I know which order to dose. I’ll deliver the meals to your suite and then wait outside until you call me in after the drug takes effect. Do you understand?”
“Yes. It sounds like you’ve done this before, Kim.”
“I have, and it always works, so don’t worry. After he’s under, you’ll ask him a list of questions that I’ll provide to you before the meeting. It’s best if the questions are presented as part of a conversation about the project and the issues you�
�re concerned with. Just pretend you’re talking to a friend. I have a lot to do, so I’ll call you when everything is ready.”
Kim left with Cai and went down to the front desk in the lobby. There was a new clerk on duty whom Kim had never seen before. Kim showed the clerk Shen’s room key.
“I have an associate who will be staying at this hotel this evening, and I’d like to make certain that everything is set.”
“May I ask your associate’s name, Mr. Wei?” the clerk asked.
“His name is Sean Flaherty, and this is his card.”
Kim handed the clerk the business card that he’d been given during his last visit to the Shangri La. The clerk looked up the name in his computer. “Yes, sir, Mr. Flaherty gets in as a late arrival this evening and he’s staying in suite 1084. Should I inform him that you’re here?”
“No, I’ll call him tomorrow morning. I’m sure he’ll be tired from his long flight.”
Kim and Cai returned to their suite, where Kim called Lieutenant and Ensign Park. He asked them to meet him in the pub in about an hour.
“I assume you don’t want me at that meeting.”
“Yes. That wouldn’t be wise, Cai. It’s important that they not know of our relationship so that they don’t tell my superiors. That might get me recalled to North Korea, and we don’t want that.”
“No, I certainly don’t want that. We have an hour to kill, so maybe we could have another serving of dessert before your meeting?”
Kim smiled and began undressing. After dessert, Kim went down to the pub and found a secluded table. Lieutenant and Ensign Park showed up right on time and joined him.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. Do you want anything to eat or drink?”
“No, we just ate. Is anything wrong?”
“No. I called you because I need to interrogate an American named Sean Flaherty, who’s arriving at this hotel late tonight. He can’t know he’s been interrogated, so I need to use SP-117. Are you familiar with it?”
“Yes, we know of it, but we don’t have it with us.”
“You need to contact our superiors and let them know that I’m requesting its use. I need to have it by tomorrow morning.”
“We’ll need to tell them why it’s needed.”
“I need to ask the American contact for this project about the person financing it and find out if this is a trap. I also want to know if he’s a US agent.” Kim was pretty certain that the US government wasn’t involved, but he also knew that if he mentioned that possibility, his superiors would react faster and provide him everything he needed.
“We’ll contact them immediately.”
After they left, Kim went back to the room and explained to Cai what he planned to do to get the information from Flaherty.
“Have you ever heard of truth serums, Cai?”
“Do you mean drugs like scopolamine and sodium pentothal?”
“Those were used as truth serums at one time, but were abandoned because they’re dangerous and often ineffective. The Russians developed a truth serum with the code name SP-117. It’s highly effective and has been widely used by countries in Eastern Europe, China, and North Korea. It has no taste, no smell, no color, and no apparent side effects. The subject appears normal and will talk freely about what he knows as if he was having a conversation. He’ll also have no recollection of having been interrogated. If anything, it just seems like he suddenly fell asleep.”
“Is this SP-117 classified? I’ve never heard of anything like it.”
“It was classified at one time, but now you can find it described on the internet by searching for truth serums. The Americans have similar drugs that I heard are even better. So do the Russians and the Chinese, who no longer use it. The Chinese provided it to North Korea a few years ago.”
“Are you sure it’ll work?”
“Yes, it always has for me.”
“What do you think about Shen’s description of the project, Kim? It seems like we’re a little understaffed.”
“A lot understaffed, with too little time to accomplish what I think they want. There must be others involved that we don’t know about. We don’t have all the information, and I’m not certain Sean Flaherty will have what we need, either.”
“Well, we’ve got another whole day together, Kim. What do you want to do?”
“I need to rest a little, Cai. Please forget about any more dessert until later. If you want to take off your clothes, I give a pretty good massage.”
“Is that one of those happy ending massages?”
“Where’d you hear about that?”
“My roommate used to work in one of the massage parlors in the Korean section of Harbin.”
“Is she a prostitute?”
“Not anymore, but I think she met her boyfriend at one of the parlors where he was a towel boy.”
“Great. You need to find another place to live after this is over, Cai.”
“I agree. We can decide where later. How about we watch another American movie? They have great movies.”
“That sounds good.”
Kim and Cai spent the rest of the day watching American action movies. At about eight, Kim got a call on his cell phone from Lieutenant Park. He told Kim that his request had been approved and they’d deliver the medication by two p.m. the next day in the pub. Kim called Shen, who seemed to be in a better mood.
“Hi, Kim. I made up with Lian.”
“I can tell. You sound a lot happier than you did earlier.”
“I definitely am. What’s going on?”
“We need to meet tomorrow afternoon at two in the pub. Tweedledum and Tweedledee will also be there.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then. Goodnight, Kim.”
Kim and Cai had a sensuous and passionate evening and then slept until eleven the next morning. After breakfast, Cai went back to her apartment for clean clothes, while Kim met Lieutenant and Ensign Park in the pub. Shen arrived a few minutes later.
“I’d like you to meet my friends, Shen. They’re the Park brothers, and they have the medication we need.”
Lieutenant Park pulled out a small four-ounce bottle of a clear liquid from his briefcase. “This is it,” he said.
“Why is there so much?” Kim asked. “I only need a half ounce.”
“They don’t want to send this stuff more than once to the same destination for security reasons. Just use it as you need it.”
Lieutenant Park reached into the briefcase again and pulled out a small electronic device that looked like a cell phone.
“This device can transmit, receive, and record conversations. It’s activated by the sound of voices. My brother will put it in Shen’s room. There’s another one in my briefcase that we can use to listen from your room. Is that okay, sir?”
“Yes. My room is unoccupied so we won’t be disturbed. Let’s go,” Kim said.
“Follow me,” Shen said, as he took Ensign Park up to his suite.
When they got to the suite, Ensign Park set up the transmitter in the dining room.
“Can you hear me, Kim?” Shen asked.
“We hear you,” Kim said from his suite. “I also hear your phone ringing, Shen. It might be Flaherty.”
“It is. I’ll put my phone on speaker so you can hear the call.”
Kim listened to the call and placed the lunch orders based on Shen’s conversation with Flaherty.
Ten minutes later, Kim called Shen. “They just delivered the meals to my suite. Are you alone?”
“Yeah, my companion just left to join his brother in your suite. Flaherty just called again to say he’s on his way.”
“Okay, I’m dosing his meal. You have the sandwich and he ordered the soup, correct?”
“Yeah, no possible confusion there.”
The order was delivered, and Kim checked to make sure it was correct. He tipped the delivery boy and asked him to leave the cart. Kim dosed Flaherty’s soup with the SP-117 and took the cart to Shen’s suite. After delivering the food, Kim
went back to his suite and waited until he heard Shen speaking through the device in his suite.
“I think he’s ready, Kim. He seems very relaxed, almost tranquil. He’s just sitting here and staring at the screen saver on his laptop.”
“Yeah, he’s ready. I’ll be right there, Shen.”
Kim entered Shen’s suite and saw a thin man with light brown hair who looked to be in his thirties sitting at a dining room table. The man was staring at a laptop computer and took no notice of Kim as he sat down in a chair next to him. Shen sat across from Flaherty and began asking the questions.
“Sean, I have some questions about the project that I hope you can answer. Can you tell me how many hackers are involved and how they’re organized?”
“Sure, there are sixty hackers from universities in Beijing, Harbin, and Shanghai. There are five cells in each city with four students to each cell. Each city has one manager.”
“Who’s in charge of the entire project?”
“Whitey’s in charge. I don’t know his real name, but he’s very wealthy.”
“Do you report to Whitey?”
“No, I’ve never had any direct contact with him.”
“What’s the target of the cyber attacks?”
“American businesses, but I don’t know who they are.”
“What’s the purpose of this trip, Sean?”
“I have information on your targets, schedules, and reporting requirements.”
“Why does Whitey want to attack American businesses?”
“He wants to hurt them.”
“For what purpose?”
“I assume it’s to help his businesses. No one has told me.”
“How many businesses does Whitey own?”
“I’m not sure, but I heard he’s a billionaire.”
“Are the students or countries such as China and North Korea scapegoats for the attack?”
“There are no scapegoats, Shen. Just targets.”
Sean Flaherty yawned as his eyes began to droop and were almost closed.
“I’m very tired, Shen. Is it okay if I take a nap?”
“Sure, Sean.”
Kim stood up and took a close look at Flaherty.
Cyber Countdown Page 18