“What sort of surprises are we looking for?” Liam asked.
“The explosive type.”
It took Naomi and Stephen fifteen seconds to find the surprise. The cigar box-sized detonator sat on a table in a small chamber with a dozen closed-circuit screens, chalkboards with Korean characters on them, and a map of the installation on one wall. A digital timer counted down, little more than thirty seconds left. Sets of wires ran from the box up the wall and to a series of plastic explosive blocks mounted on the chamber walls.
“Found the detonator!” Naomi called out. She unsheathed a fighting dagger — one of the few tangible things she had left of her dead fiancé, ‘Chance’ Zanetti — and with a few swift cuts, separated the wire bundles from the box. She tossed the box onto the floor, drew her pistol and put four shots into it, mangling the internal components beyond repair.
Meanwhile, Stephen was looking at the screens and the map on the wall. He studied the map until movement caught his eye on one of the screens. He watched a closed circuit video feed as Rhee and his group jogged through a cavern. His eyes narrowed as they flicked back to the map.
“Four to Prime,” he said into his radio. “I know where Rhee’s going.” He looked back at the monitors and saw the group pass a heavy machine gun pointing in the direction they had come from.
“And we have a problem.”
#
Rhee, still holding Dr. Mori by the arm, stopped and looked back in the direction from which they’d come. The escape tunnel was a narrow, twisting affair, rough-cut rock designed for one thing only — to evacuate the base in case of an attack.
Muhn turned and also looked. “Gunfire stopped.”
Rhee glared. “How much time is left on the detonators?”
“Less than twenty seconds.”
“Keep moving.”
They trotted on until Rhee stopped and consulted his wristwatch, his face contorting into a mask of confusion as his gaze bored into the watch’s second hand. “What happened? The explosives didn’t go off.”
“They must have found the detonator,” Muhn said.
Rhee’s expression became cold and dark. “Captain, take two soldiers and stay here with the rest of the guards. Eliminate the enemy, then destroy that lab. Meet us at the safehouse in Sacramento.”
Muhn nodded, the scar-faced man’s expression stony with resolve.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Except for the detonator, the map, and the video monitor showing Rhee’s escape, the OUTCAST team found nothing in their hasty search. The laboratory, a near duplicate of the one in the warehouse, was empty, though it was clear to Tanner that methamphetamine was the lab’s main product.
The team reassembled in the central chamber and Stephen summarized what they knew. “It looks like Rhee is heading for an escape tunnel that leads to the barn a mile and a half west of this complex. The good news is that the escape tunnel is not far from here — right through that tunnel there.” He pointed at the entrance through which Rhee had vanished.
“The bad news is that there is a group of fanatical North Koreans and a DShK machine gun waiting at the other end of that tunnel. There’s enough of a curve so that you can’t see one end from the other. It’s not very wide, though, and we’d be shredded before we got close enough to shoot.”
“We don’t have any time to waste,” Tanner said.
Liam nodded. “I have an idea.”
#
“Sir! Smoke!”
Muhn spun toward the machine gun. Smoke drifted out of the tunnel. “Open fire,” he roared.
The machine gunners followed orders and the DShK sparked to life, sending scores of 12.7mm rounds into the tunnel, the assistant gunner struggling to attach the next fifty-round belt to keep up a continuous fire. The sound of the DShK echoed throughout the cavern, making it sound like a dozen machine guns firing simultaneously.
After a minute, Muhn bellowed, “Cease fire!”
Silence settled in the tunnel as the echoes died away. Smoke still wafted out of the tunnel, but there was no noise beyond the soft scraping of the guards’ boots as they shifted uneasily.
“Reload!” Muhn spat. “Cho, Ryeon, throw grenades into the tunnel.”
The two North Korean Special Forces soldiers advanced, staying out of the DShK’s line of fire, each man gripping a hand grenade. They pulled the pins, but before they could throw them, something careened out of the smoke-filled tunnel and exploded against the heavy machine gun’s shield.
The gun plate was twisted apart by twin explosions, fragments spinning in a wide arc, slicing into the machine gunner and assistant like a swarm of steel hornets. The DShK’s barrel was bent and thrown back onto the bloody bodies of its crew. The blast knocked down both grenade throwers and one of them dropped his mini-bomb. He scrambled to grab it but it detonated, shredding him and his fellow soldier, whose grenade exploded in turn, producing another wave of shrapnel.
Before Muhn could shout a command, another round of grenades sailed out of the tunnel, these ones spewing thick white smoke that sent the survivors into coughing fits.
“Tear gas!” Muhn managed to gasp. “Get back!”
#
The plan cost the team four smoke canisters, their last two HE grenades for their M-203s, and their last four CS grenades.
They had used the smoke canisters to fill the tunnel with smoke, waited for the machine gun to stop firing, then fired the HE rounds and CS rounds. On Tanner’s go, they had blitzed around the turn and into the cavern, shooting at any target.
Movement to Tanner’s right made him spin toward it. One of the defenders, his face bloody, but his expression twisted in fury as he tried to raise his Type 56. Tanner triggered a short burst into the man’s chest and the now-dead North Korean flopped backwards.
To the left, Dante and Naomi caught movement in the smoke and they both fired. The North Korean solider staggered, but raised his Type 56, only to go down for good when Dante squeezed his grenade launcher and the buckshot gutted the soldier from neck to groin.
Stephen moved past the machine gun tripod when a North Korean soldier stepped out of the smoke, grabbed the MP5 with one hand and tried to slice the former CIA agent with a knife in the other. Stephen released his weapon, putting the knife-wielder, who had expected more resistance, off-balance. As the knife flashed in, Stephen used an inside scoop-block to redirect it to his left. He then executed a tiger’s mouth strike to crush the man’s throat, throwing his weight into the strike with a snapping twist of his hips. Unable to breathe, the man dropped to his knees, then onto his face.
Liam killed two enemy soldiers with short bursts as soon as he saw them. The third fanatic tried rushing Liam, firing his AK from his hip, only to be cut down by Dante.
A boot flashed out of the fog and smashed into Liam’s left shoulder hard enough to stagger him. Liam turned just as another kick struck him in the middle of his chest and knocked him off his feet.
Liam tucked his head and fired a long burst into the cloud as he hit the hard rock floor. The large, scar-faced North Korean dodged the burst and charged Liam. His eyes were red-rimmed and watery, but wide open. He threw a rock at Stephen just as he drew and aimed his pistol, the heavy chunk of granite striking the ex-CIA man in the shoulder before he could open fire.
Liam’s left arm went numb. Still flat on his back, he tried raising his MP5 to shoot the attacker one-handed, only to have his assailant kick the submachine gun away and follow it with a stomp to Liam’s head. The former SEAL yanked his head to the side, the toe of the North Korean’s shoe scraping the side of Liam’s face. Liam’s hand yanked his combat knife free of its sheath and he slashed at the man’s leg, scoring a shallow cut along his calf.
The man jerked back, but before he could move, more shots rang out. Two slugs slammed into the man’s face, while two more struck him in the chest, dropping him next to Liam.
Tanner ran over, his SOCOM pistol in his hands, pointed at the slayed Tango. Naomi was behind him, her
pistol also in her hands. “You okay?”
Liam sat up and sheathed his knife. “Peachy.”
“Stephen?”
“I’m all right. Shoulder hurts like a son of a bitch.”
Liam stood. “Must be one of Rhee’s Special Forces boys. I’m pretty sure this guy was in a few of those surveillance photos.”
“We need to go after Rhee,” Tanner said. “Can you fight?”
Liam flexed his left arm. “Yeah.”
“Stephen?”
“Don’t ask me to do the wave, or signal a touchdown, but otherwise, yes.”
Dante came out of the now dissipating CS cloud. “Everyone else is down.”
Tanner holstered his pistol. “Let’s go.”
#
Tanner led the way down the narrow, twisting tunnel. The light level was close to twilight, leaving plenty of shadows. The team moved at a fast walk using their NVGs, their guns at the ready. Ahead of them, they could hear footsteps and the occasional word of Korean.
As they rounded a corner, gunfire erupted ahead and two bullets flew past Tanner’s face to strike the tunnel wall behind him. Tanner dropped to one knee and aimed his MP5 down the corridor. He saw Rhee standing behind Dr. Mori, one arm around her neck, the other pointing a pistol in Tanner’s direction, using the chemist as a shield. Next to him, another man stood with an assault rifle pointed at the OUTCAST founder.
“American,” Rhee shouted in accented English. “Any farther and Dr. Mori dies!”
“You can’t win, Rhee,” Tanner shouted back. “You’ve got nowhere to run.”
“Is that so?” Rhee yanked Mori back and started to back down the tunnel, the soldier following. “Your arrogance is immense! I have more allies than you can imagine.”
“Let me take the shot,” Liam subvocalized over the radio.
“Your leaders are insane,” Tanner shouted back, lowering his MP5 until it dangled from its sling. He drew his pistol. “You can’t escape.” He glanced back at Liam, who aimed his pistol with both hands.
“Your arm?” he subvocalized.
“I can make the shot.”
The tunnel was almost dark, and Tanner doubted that Rhee could see much more than a few shadows from where he was standing. “Two,” he subvocalized, “if you get the shot, take it. I’ll keep him talking. Three, cover the other guy. Four and Five, stand by for backup if we miss.”
Rhee placed the muzzle of the pistol against Mori’s head. “You Americans are corrupt,” he shouted, continuing his retreat down the tunnel.
Liam and Tanner, joined by Naomi, kept pace, maintaining the distance between them and the enemy. Stephen and Dante followed their associates.
“I said no farther!” Rhee snapped.
“Dr. Mori,” Tanner called. “Are you all right!”
“No,” she yelled, “kill this son of a bitch!”
“Shut up,” Rhee said.
Tanner stepped forward, his pistol pointed at Rhee. “Surrender or die.”
Rhee started to bring his pistol up to aim at Tanner. “You first.”
Without warning, Mori grabbed Rhee’s controlling arm with both hands and kicked both of her feet out. The sudden deadweight pulled the major’s arm down, exposing his face. Rhee realized what was happening an instant too late. Both Tanner and Liam fired twice, all four .45 slugs ripping through his head, nearly decapitating him. Naomi fired half a heartbeat later, putting four bullets into the center mass of the soldier before he could fire his assault rifle.
As the targets collapsed, Tanner and Liam moved in. Mori wrenched the now-lifeless arm from her neck, rolled to her feet and began to savagely kick Rhee’s lifeless body. Tanner held up a hand to stop the others and they watched as the freed chemist vented herself on her captor’s body. With a final kick, she turned and looked at Tanner. Then, with a sob, she threw herself into his arms and broke down in tears.
Tanner held her, looking over at Liam. “Get those chemists.” Liam nodded and moved past them.
Naomi looked down at Rhee’s body. “Looks like he really lost his head this time.”
EPILOGUE
Kwan’s office was quiet. Darkness had fallen again, the third night after the Day of Fire. Despite being the acting Mayor, Kwan remained in his office, taking comfort in its familiar surroundings and quality stock of liquor. Only a couple of dim lights stayed on; this was a meeting to be conducted in the shadows.
He stood at the window, a glass of scotch in hand, staring out at the city, his city. Well, his city for a little longer, anyway. There was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened and John Casey walked in. “Mayor Kwan.”
“Have a seat please.”
Casey walked over to a chair in front of the desk and sat. “How is Mayor Pagliei?”
“Dying. Slowly, but still dying.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Kwan was silent for a moment. “I never wanted this. I never wanted to be mayor. I was happy where I was.”
“I take it Pyongyang wants more out of you.”
Kwan tensed, then relaxed. “So you know.”
“Rhee left enough intact intel behind. We also found two phones on Rhee’s body—”
“He’s dead?”
“You don’t sound too depressed over it.”
“Quite the opposite. You found my private cell phone number on one of his phones?”
“We did.”
Kwan sipped his scotch. “I never wanted to be part of Rhee’s plans. I still have family back in North Korea, and Rhee threatened to hurt both them and my family here.”
“Is that why you wanted to see me?”
“No, I want to confess and surrender myself to the United States as the agent of an enemy power.”
Casey got up and walked over to the wet bar. “When we discovered the connection between you and Rhee, we looked into your background. Talked to a number of people. There’s word that powerful people want you to run for Senate in two years.”
Kwan snorted. “That group includes Pyongyang. They think I am suitable for the position.” He turned and looked at Casey, who poured his drink. “That’s over. Not even California will elect a North Korean agent to the U.S. Senate.”
“I would dispute that, considering the senators currently in office.”
Kwan downed the last of his scotch. “I’m ready to surrender.”
“I’m not ready to accept it. Have a seat.”
Kwan walked over to his chair and sat. “What else do you wish to know?”
“We’ll explore that later.” Casey walked over to his chair and sat again. “Do you feel remorse?”
“About being a spy? Yes. About being caught up in Rhee’s scheme? I found out about most of it the same time as everyone else. The terrorist attacks were as much a gut punch to me as they were to the rest of the world. I knew many people who were killed in the attacks, and my soul will be scarred by that until the day I die.” He leaned back before continuing. “I have no love for the government of North Korea. It’s my homeland, but no longer my home.” He smiled, mirthless. “Besides, the worse prison here in the U.S. is light years ahead of the ones in North Korea.” The smile vanished. “Won’t do my brother or his family any good.”
“Suppose there was a way to avoid any public scandal?”
“You want me to commit suicide? Buried with honor, but the fact that I’m a spy for a belligerent country swept under the rug?”
“Please, nothing as final as that.” Casey swished his liquor around in the glass while staring at it. “Good stuff. No, I was thinking of something that doesn’t involve you getting arrested, committing suicide, or resigning. In fact, you could even run for that senate seat with a halfway decent chance of winning.”
“You want me to become a double agent.”
“Unless you want to be arrested, dragged into court and your family put through hell, that’s what we have to offer. I would much prefer you said yes, but I can’t force your h
and either way.”
Kwan sighed. “I suppose it would help repair the damage that son of a bitch Rhee did.” He quaffed the last of his drink and set the glass on his desk with a resounding clack before making direct eye contact with Casey. “When do I start?”
Casey grinned. “Welcome to America, Mr. Kwan.”
#
Cypress Lawn Memorial Park was the burial place for George Glimsdale and the other family members who had been murdered by “unknown assailants.” Half the DEA agents in the state had come to pay their respects, as well as representatives from the FBI, ATF, and various police departments. John Casey, representing the president, stood next to the sole surviving Glimsdale daughter. Sarah Vessler and Danny Choi stood next to Casey.
The OUTCAST team was present as well, though they stayed in the background. Dressed in somber clothing like the rest, the clandestine operators watched the funerals in silence. They were marked with outward signs of their actions in the mines; Stephen’s arm was in a sling to ease the strain of his bruised shoulder, while Dante and Tanner had a few new scars. Liam was nursing a couple of bruised ribs from bullets that had failed to penetrate the Dragonskin armor. When the service was over and the mourners departed, OUTCAST waited for Vessler and her partner.
Finally, Vessler walked over to them, followed by Choi. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“We had to come,” Tanner said. He looked at Gloria Glimsdale, who was being comforted by an older woman. “Is she going to be all right?”
“It’ll take a long time, but she has us as her family now. We in the DEA will look out for her. George had a few friends in high places. Whatever she wants to do, we’ll make sure she has any help she needs. How’s Dr. Mori?”
“Recovering in a government hospital. She turned over all of her notes on Red Ice and the formula for something called patbingsu, which she described as a ‘battle drug’ to Uncle Sam.”
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