Cyber Countdown

by Terence Flynn

  “Thanks, George, I’ll do that. Goodbye.”

  As James was driving back to DC, he saw a pickup truck coming up behind him as if it wanted to pass. It was a two-lane country road, so James slowed down and moved to the side of the road to let the truck get by him. As the pickup passed, he saw the passenger-side window open and a rifle barrel pointed at him. James hit the brakes on his SUV and quickly pulled off the road as he heard a shot that destroyed his windshield but missed him. He stopped and jumped out of the passenger side of the SUV to shield himself as the pickup made a U-turn and started to come back.

  James thought about running, but then saw a blue sedan about a quarter mile away moving quickly toward the pickup in the same lane. When they were less than a hundred yards apart, the truck swerved into the other lane as its passenger fired several shots at the car. That was followed by a half dozen loud bangs from the passenger side of the car. The passenger side of the truck was shredded as it flipped and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

  The blue sedan pulled up behind James’s SUV. He saw the passenger door open and heard a familiar voice say, “Looks like I got the SOB with those twelve-gauge slugs. Are you okay, James?”

  “Not that I’m not grateful, but what the hell are you doing here, Rick?”

  “I’m protecting your ass at the insistence of the president. You’re needed for an important mission, Commander.”

  “Thanks, Rick, but why did you get in the same lane as the truck? Were you going to ram it?”

  “Of course not. I like you, but this wasn’t a suicide mission. I needed him to move over so I’d have a shot at the shooter on the passenger side of the truck.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “Let’s go see who’s in that pile of rubble.”

  As they approached the pickup, James saw the unconscious male driver and dead female passenger with a rifle lying at her feet.

  “Look, Rick, the shooter has a bandage on her left hand and wrist. She’s probably the person who shot at you a few weeks ago.”

  “Yeah, I guess I didn’t miss. I thought I might have to give back my navy marksmanship medal.”

  27

  Kim had flown back from the symposium, arriving in Harbin about seven in the evening. He immediately called Lee Park, and asked to meet with her that evening. Lee consented, and she arrived at about eight.

  “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Lee. I just got back from a cybersecurity symposium in Munich that was set up by HIT. I discovered something while there that I need to talk to the admiral about. It’s very important, and I need to fly back to Nampo as soon as possible.”

  Lee looked at him sternly. “You should have informed me before you left China, Kim. What would I have thought if I needed to find you and you were gone?”

  “I had no warning, Lee. The university didn’t inform the students until the morning we were leaving. I’m sorry, but I really need to meet with my uncle.”

  “Okay, I’ll contact him immediately and see if he can meet you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Lee.”

  Kim began packing for the trip. In addition to his clothes, he took the remaining truth serum. He thought he might need it.

  Lee Park called before midnight and said that his trip had been approved and that she was coming by with his authorization papers. She arrived about a half hour later.

  “They set up a special flight like the last time, Kim. You need to take your papers to the Air China office by nine. There will be a car waiting when you land in Nampo.”

  Kim was shocked when Lee suddenly kissed him on the cheek. “Good luck, Kim. Say hello to your uncle for me.”

  After Lee left, Kim placed a call to Rick on his satellite phone.

  “Hello, Kim. I was waiting for your call. Where are you?”

  “I’m still in Harbin. My flight to Nampo is tomorrow morning at nine. Have you heard anything from Cai?”

  “Not yet. I’m sure she’s getting settled in New York. I need to tell you that James will be on the attack sub to help with the mission.”

  “That’s great, but has he ever been on a submarine before?”

  “Yeah, he’s a reserve naval officer. He spent some time on subs after graduating from the Naval Academy. Some of it wasn’t so great, but you can ask him about that when you see him.”

  “Thanks, Rick.”

  “Good luck, Kim.”

  Kim arrived at the North Korean Western Fleet headquarters in Nampo the next morning. He immediately went to the admiral’s office, where he was escorted into the secure conference room by one of the secretaries. The admiral, who was sitting at the conference room table, looked up from a document he was reading.

  “Close the door, Commander. Is everything all right?”

  “Everything’s great, Admiral. I’ve done as you asked, and the Americans are aware of our plan. They’ve also developed an escape plan that will allow them to take all four of us.”

  “Three is risky enough, Kim. Four will be too dangerous.”

  “You need to tell the Americans about our country’s nuclear capabilities. It can work, Admiral. Let me explain what we have to do.”

  Kim briefed the admiral on the plan.

  “I still think it’s risky, Commander. But if the Americans think it’s possible, I’ll agree to it. Tell me more.”

  “All of us will need to get to Wonsan and find a boat to get out far enough so that the SEALs can get to us. I’ll have very precise coordinates for the location we’ll need to get to. Can you help with the boat, Admiral?”

  “Yes, I know someone in Wonsan who can provide us with a boat.”

  “Good. I have a plan to disable the command and control system on our Kilo submarines so they won’t be able to fire their missiles. It’ll require access to the program code for the navigation system on the Kilo to make it work. Can you help me?”

  “That information is located in the software support department in the basement of the headquarters building.”

  “How can I get access to it?”

  The admiral thought for a few seconds. “We’ve had security issues in our computer and server rooms. I could ask you to do an inspection, since you’re a security expert. I’ll set it up.”

  The admiral called his aide on the phone.

  “I want you to draft a memo that says I’m assigning a security expert to evaluate the security of the fleet headquarters starting tomorrow. The security expert is Lieutenant Commander Kim Kwon-Mu. Everyone is to provide him with their complete cooperation. Distribute the memo by this afternoon.”

  “We need to talk with my mother and sister this evening, Admiral. I need to tell them about our plan.”

  “I’ll invite them to dinner at my residence.”

  That evening, Kim was reunited with his entire family over dinner. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a celebration. This occasion was different.

  After dinner, Kim instructed them on how their escape plan was going to be implemented. The idea of leaving on a fishing boat wasn’t a problem. When Kim explained they’d be met by a mini-submarine that would take them to a larger submarine underwater, his mother and sister thought Kim was joking.

  Kim made it clear that he was serious. He then explained in detail how the plan would work. When he was certain everyone understood all the details, Kim looked directly at his mother and sister and said slowly and clearly, “No matter what happens, everyone will need to stay calm. You will need to maintain your poise regardless of the situation. Is that clear?”

  Everyone nodded, including the admiral.

  The admiral had Kim’s mother and sister driven back to their home outside Nampo but asked Kim to stay at his residence so they could talk.

  “How’s Lee Park, Kim? Is she still attractive?”

  “Yes, she is. She told me to say hello to you for her. I didn’t know you knew her.”

  “We’ve known each other for a long time. I was in love with her once. My dear departed wife knew
it, and she threatened to leave if I didn’t send her away. It’s hard loving two women, Kim. I think of her more since my wife passed away.”

  “Maybe you can see her again after we leave. I’m sure she could find a way to get out of China.”

  “Maybe. I’m tired. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  The next morning, Kim put on his dress uniform and went to the fleet headquarters building with the admiral. He was introduced to the admiral’s staff as an expert in cybersecurity.

  “Do you need any assistance, Commander?” the admiral’s aide asked.

  “I appreciate the offer, Lieutenant. It’ll go faster if I do it myself. Can you escort me to the basement?”

  “Yes, sir. You’ll need a diagram of the room. I’ll get one.”

  After his escort left, Kim went directly to the software library and located the information on the Kilo onboard computer software, including the navigation program. He found a small unoccupied maintenance room and started to review the information. After about fifteen minutes, he found what he needed. Kim made some notes on the required modifications in the worm’s trigger and targeting system. He also removed several critical pages from the loose-leaf binder, folded them, and put them in his pocket.

  Kim left and started to walk through the other areas of the building, asking questions and making observations as if he was doing an actual inspection. He completed his inspection and put together a quick two-page report that identified the security deficiencies he’d found so far. He took it to the admiral.

  “Admiral, I need to return to your residence to complete my work in private.”

  “I’ll have my driver take you,” the admiral said.

  Kim worked for more than seven hours and had almost completed the required changes to the worm’s configuration when his uncle returned home. He looked pale and seemed upset.

  “What happened, Admiral? You look exhausted.”

  “I was in a teleconference with some of the senior officers involved in the Senkaku Islands plan. The maniacs have decided on a backup plan in case the new anti-ship guidance system on the missiles fails. Recent tests have shown a much higher than expected failure rate. As a backup, one of the three Kilos will be carrying torpedoes. It’s an older model that doesn’t have the sophisticated electronics on the two newer Kilo submarines.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. Our torpedoes don’t have the required range and the American navy has excellent sonar. The Kilo could easily be detected before it gets within the effective range of the torpedo.”

  “You don’t understand, Kim. The backup plan is to fire at a Chinese ship so that the Chinese will think it was launched by an American submarine.”

  “But the Americans aren’t planning on using their submarines or aircraft carriers in the exercise so that they don’t antagonize the Chinese government. Also, the Chinese ships have sensors that are almost as good as the Americans’. It’s possible they could detect the Kilo and sink it.”

  “We both know that, but the maniacs are desperate.”

  “I’ll need to call my contact in America to let him know about the change in plans. Tomorrow morning I need to get to the server room on the first floor of the headquarters building to load the malware. Could you please let your aide know that I’m going to perform an inspection of that area?”

  “I will, but we need to get there early to ensure the server room is vacant.”

  “Do you have access to any weapons that we can take with us on the boat?”

  “Follow me, Kim.”

  The admiral took Kim to a maintenance shed behind the residence.

  “Is this what you need?” the admiral asked.

  Kim was amazed to see explosive and phosphorous grenades and a small arsenal of weapons, including AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades, a Russian RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and a .50 caliber semi-automatic special-applications scoped rifle.

  “What’s all this for, Admiral? Were you planning an invasion?”

  “I’ve been putting this together for the last six months. It was for your escape, which I guess is now our escape.”

  “Where’d you get the .50 caliber rifle?”

  “I got it three years ago from a former Russian colonel who specializes in the sale of exotic weapons. He owed me a favor.”

  “Did you tell your staff about your trip to Wonsan?”

  “Yes, I told them I was going to visit Eastern Fleet headquarters in Wonsan and might also do some fishing. I also bought a large cooler like fisherman use, to store the weapons in the trunk of my car.”

  “Have you made plans for where we’re staying in Wonsan?”

  “Yes, we’re staying in one of the luxury hotels on the waterfront, right near the Wonsan fishing pier.”

  Kim’s satellite phone rang, and he knew it was Rick. He informed Rick about the North Korean contingency plan.

  “They must really be desperate to try something like that,” Rick said. “If they get caught sinking Chinese ships, they’ll be annihilated by their only ally. I’ll inform the navy that the mission just got tougher.”

  “I hope your navy can detect the Kilo. My uncle says the new Kilos can evade your attack boats.”

  “I doubt that; our latest subs are really good. Oh, I almost forgot. Your uncle was approved. We have room for him on the mini-sub.”

  “That’s great. We’re leaving for Wonsan tomorrow.”

  “Good. I’ll call tomorrow night. Goodnight, Kim.”

  Rick hung up, and Kim resumed his work on the worm.

  The next morning, Kim met with the admiral’s aide.

  “I’m going to inspect the servers on the first floor today, Lieutenant. I don’t need you to escort me. I’ve got a map.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Kim found the servers that were used to load the time and navigation data for the Kilo submarines. It was early, and the facility was virtually empty, with the exception of a single sailor performing maintenance on some of the routers on the other side of the room. He found the server he was looking for and inserted the flash drive in the server port. It took less than a minute to complete the malware insertion. He hoped the worm would find its way to the servers at Eastern Fleet headquarters in Wonsan.

  Kim then walked through the entire room and did a security inspection and completed his report, which he provided to the admiral’s aide. He met the admiral in his office and briefed him on what he did.

  “The malware was inserted, Admiral. It should find the servers in Wonsan that connect with the Kilos. I just hope it works.”

  “Is there a problem, Kim?”

  “No, but I think we’d have a higher probability of success if I could get access to the servers at the Eastern Fleet headquarters where the Kilo submarines are located.”

  “The commander of the Eastern Fleet is a good friend of mine. I’ll tell him about the work you did here and recommend that you also inspect his facility. We were classmates at the naval academy and have always been competitive. I’m certain he’d want his facility to be as secure as mine. I’ll arrange a meeting for tomorrow morning.”

  Kim awoke at about seven and loaded the admiral’s Mercedes-Benz with the luggage and the cooler with the weapons from the shed. He tried to hide the cooler by covering it with the luggage, but he knew that even a casual search of the car would be a death sentence for everyone. He and the admiral then drove to Nampo to pick up Kim’s mother and sister.

  The trip to Wonsan was 150 miles from the west coast of North Korea to the east coast. It was a scenic trip through forests and over mountains that normally took about two and a half hours. Kim was familiar with the journey due to his service with the North Korean Reconnaissance Bureau, which monitored traffic on the road at several military checkpoints. He could sense the tension within the car rapidly increase every time they approached a checkpoint, and then quickly subside after they went through it without being stopped. Kim realized that the checkpoint’s guards were being intimidated by the
military insignias on the admiral’s car that signified his rank.

  They pulled into the parking lot at their hotel in Nampo, and took their luggage to the lobby. The admiral had arranged for two rooms on the sixth floor, the top floor of the hotel. All of the rooms had spectacular views of the waterfront and the walkway to Jangdok Island.

  “Let’s unpack and then we’ll all meet in the lobby,” the admiral said. “I want to show all of you the waterfront.”

  After stopping for barbecued clams at one of the stands, Kim pointed at the lighthouse.

  “I want to see the lighthouse on Jangdok Island and take some pictures, Admiral.”

  “Good idea, Kim. Let’s all go.”

  “Are you sure, Admiral? It’s a long walk.”

  “I’m sure. Do you want to go, Hana?”

  “Yes, uncle. The lighthouse looks like a white candle on a big green dumpling.”

  “You’re right, Hana,” the admiral responded. “The island is round and covered with trees. It does look like a green dumpling with a candle on top.”

  The walk was fairly long and it gave Kim a chance to see whether the admiral was healthy enough for the coming ordeal. He was no longer worried when he heard Hana say, “Slow down, Uncle, my feet hurt and I’m tired.”

  Jangdok Island provided a spectacular view of the harbor and beyond. It was a great place for scrutinizing the area where they were going to escape. Kim used the high-powered binoculars Rick had provided.

  “Do you see anything out there, Kim?”

  “Yes, Admiral. I see a corvette and some patrol helicopters. I hope your nautical patrol maps and schedules will help us evade them.”

  “We can’t rely on the schedules, Kim. The navy changes them frequently. Let’s meet in the hotel basement when we get back. There’s a sauna and a swimming pool, and I’ve arranged for privacy.”