by Van Torrey
“First, he just about has to fly here, Ms. President...but from where? Since their airport is kaput, he has to fly out of somewhere else. My guess would be Seoul-Kimbo, or Inchon International.”
“But that’s South Korea. How are they going to get him there?” asked Hunter.
“Actually, pretty easy,” answered the FBI Director. “That border is about as porous as Arizona and Mexico. If they want to infiltrate him bad enough, they’ll get him there. The way I hear it from my counterpart in Seoul, each one’s agents just about wave at each other as they cross the border in different directions. They all look alike, they talk alike. It’s a maelstrom of sameness. You can’t shut it down completely.”
“Okay, so they fly him out of Seoul...to where?” she asked.
“I’ve thought about this all afternoon, Ms. President, and I’m guessing...guessing, mind you...Canada. Vancouver, B.C., is easily the most cosmopolitan city in North America. There are almost more diverse Asians there than Canadians. Gamma wouldn’t even be a blip on the radar screen there.”
“Travel credentials, no-fly lists, Canadian customs?” Hunter asked.
“Not as difficult as you would like to think,” Ms. President. “All the more reason to try to enter through Canada than the U.S.A.”
“Let’s say you are right, Clayton, why Vancouver, besides the ethnic camouflage allowing him to essentially disappear upon arrival?”
“Two things...maybe more. One, this is a major gateway to North America from Asia. There are direct flights from several Asian cities, including Seoul. From Vancouver, someone can fly out to numerous cities in Canada and the USA. It’s an international hub where no one stands out because of the diversity of passengers.”
“And...?”
“And two, if the North Koreans did manage to get a nuclear device into North America, it would undoubtedly come by sea, and Vancouver would be the logical port to attempt an infiltration,” concluded Clayton.
Wheatley took out his laptop and queued up a maps application and quickly zeroed in on Vancouver. “Look at this inlet from the Pacific, Ms. President. It is the principal waterway to both Seattle and Vancouver. There is very heavy military, commercial, and private marine traffic coming and going at all hours. It is virtually impossible to police. In addition, the number and variety of dockage in the Vancouver marine environment is immense. From a law enforcement standpoint, I think it’s very possible to penetrate that harbor security with something as small as a nuclear warhead, and once there, take it to a secure location for future use.”
“So, do you think that the purported nuclear device is there, Director?”
“I’m not prepared to say that, Ms. President. In fact I’m not prepared to say anything I proposed here tonight is an actual fact. But what I am saying is that we have to start from somewhere, and lacking anything solid from Gamma, we should start by making some educated guesses. I would certainly be interested in hearing your thoughts on this matter. At this point, everyone’s guess is as good as the next person’s.”
*
General Fhang Jhai was now ready to thoroughly brief General Kim on the complete contents of the dossier he had obtained from the desk of his deceased brother, former head of the Reconnaissance Bureau of the People’s Army. These were the plans for the covert operation to infiltrate a nuclear warhead onto the North American continent put in place by the Chong family prior to Fhang’s coup d’état.
Once again, the meeting was to take place in Fhang’s private residence of the purpose of maximum security. After dinner the two men met in Fhang’s study.
“General Kim, in a few days you will be leaving Pyongyang on a mission of the greatest importance to the people of North Korea and to me, its leader. This mission that will greatly accelerate the manifestation of the Brilliant New Light as the new vision of the future of our peninsula and, eventually, all of Asia. The Chinese will deeply regret dishonoring and disrespecting us at the birthing of the Brilliant New Light. The South Koreans will have the scales taken from their eyes and beg to be reunified with us. The Americans will think about the possibility of one of their major cities in ruins, realizing they must negotiate with us as equals, rather than powerless, third-world nobodies. The Chinese, South Koreans, and Americans started their fight with me. I shall have the last word!” Fhang took a long drink from his ever present goblet filled with Russian vodka and continued, as if lecturing a class.
“Two days from now you will be infiltrated into South Korea by our Army commandos to a point south of the Imjin River, near Munsan-ni, just south of the Truce line. This is a route we have used many times that is not guarded well by the American Army, even though it is their area of responsibility. In Munsan you will be met by one of our agents and driven to a safe house in Seoul. Soon thereafter you will board a flight from one of the Seoul airports to a location in North America, where you will be met by another one of our agents. There your real work will begin.”
After a period of silence, General Kim spoke cautiously. “Is that all? Are there no more details, General?”
“General Kim, although I am confident in the abilities of our commandos to accomplish this infiltration, as well as your capabilities to evade if threatened with capture, there is always that very remote chance that our infiltration plan will fail and you would be captured...a very slim chance. This operation is so sensitive that I cannot take the chance of divulging how you will leave Korea and where your destination will be. That information will be given to you as you are being driven to the exact airport and given your ticket and boarding pass. I hope you understand.”
All Kim could do under the circumstances was to nod in agreement.
“Finally, General, I have trusted you with a great deal of sensitive and private information about the Brilliant New Light. You could be a treasure trove of secrets to anyone who intends to do us harm. If you are captured by the South Koreans during the infiltration, I ask that you do the noble and patriotic thing, and take measures - take those selfless and courageous measures - that will ensure that such information does not fall into the hands of our enemies. That decision will be completely up to you.” Then the General added cryptically, “In any case, you can be sure that your family will be completely in my care.”
*
TO: DCI
FROM: DDI
TIME: 0755 HRS
FLASH TRAFFIC GAMMA. LEAVING SEOUL SOON FOR UNDISCLOSED LOCATION NORTH AMERICA. DETAILS UNKNOWN. NO ROUTING KNOWN. NO CELL PHONE. END.
Marilyn Mitchell was briefing the President’s National Security Group on the content of the raw intel from Gamma. “My interpretation of this message is, although we know he’s coming here, we really know very little else. We don’t know which airport in Seoul he is leaving from, his travel alias, and we don’t know his itinerary. If they are smart they will route him through one or more airports in another country, so we won’t even know where he’s coming from, let alone where he’s arriving. Too many variables for a sure intercept.”
“Also if they are smart, they’ll keep a minder on him until he boards the plane in Seoul. This person may possibly stay with him until he boards the final flight to his destination to make sure he is not compromised along the way,” remarked Clayton Wheatley.
“So,” summarized Rachel Hunter, “it seems to me that we will have to wait for him to contact us whenever and wherever he lands. They have him on a pretty short leash if they confiscated his cell phone. That’s going to make it pretty tough for him to reach out to us at will,” she added.
“Here’s my plan for doing something proactive, Ms. President,” said Wheatley. “I am sending a team of Special Agents to L.A., San Francisco, and Seattle on the West Coast, and all the New York Airports, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, and Houston. We have video surveillance of people getting off all international flights at those airports and photo ident software as well. We have tag-and-track data on Gamma that will alert us if there’s a match at any of these places, so we can get a tail
set up if we find him. I have about a hundred people assigned to this. That’s about all we can do at the moment, Ms. President, but it’s a start.”
“Sounds good, Clayton, but what about your hunch, Vancouver?”
“I would prefer not to use my Special Agents for that, Ms. President. The RCMP is very jealous of their jurisdiction and takes a dim view of the FBI doing any claim jumping up there. Now, if you want to discuss this with the Canadian Prime Minister and set up a cooperation, that might be a different story, but that’s out of my pay grade!”
“I’ve thought about that and discussed it with the Secretary of State. There’s too much disclosure involved based on very thin evidence. We could wind up looking like amateurs after making disclosures that might not pan out. Is there any other way to check the Vancouver angle?”
“There is, Ms. President, but, as I said before, I can’t use my Agents. I can use some contractors I have used in the past.”
“May we know who these gentlemen are?” asked Rachel Hunter.
“SEALyon Security...Chance Lyon and his partner, John Olyphant.” replied Wheatley.
“I think I know Lyon...former Navy SEAL, right?” she said. “Are these the same people you used to grab Yim recently?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they’ve done quite a lot of work for me...er, us,” he replied.
“I don’t think I want to know the details about that, Clayton. If you trust them, turn ‘em loose, but keep this very black...you never told me about these guys in this particular context,” she said darkly.
CHAPTER 31
MYSTERIOUS JOURNEY
“The longest journey is the journey inwards of him who has chosen his destiny.
Dag Hammarskjold (Nobel Peace Laureate)
*
At noon, General Kim, dressed as a civilian underneath, but covered with a loose fitting camouflage jump suit, left Pyongyang in a convoy of three military vehicles manned by North Korean commandos. These men had the responsibility of getting Kim to a jumping off point in North Korea just a few miles north of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea, and leading him to a small town called Munsan-ni, just south of the DMZ, where he would be met by a covert North Korean agent. The danger in this short journey was being spotted by the constant patrols of U.S. and South Korean Army forces that hid in waiting attempting to seize agents of the North Korean government who tried to infiltrate into South Korea. It was very much of a cat-and-mouse game, one at which the North Korean commandos had become adept over the years.
After arriving at the jumping off point, Kim was issued a set of sturdy boots and a knapsack containing vital items he would need once the infiltration into South Korea was successful. In it was a substantial sum of Won, the South Korean currency, a South Korean Passport and numerous identity papers, including a birth certificate, driver’s license, voter I.D. card, and medical history. All of these, of course, were counterfeit, but of excellent quality that would satisfy anything but the most rigorous examination by forensic specialists. Of greatest surprise to him was a new Samsung cellular telephone configured to operate on South Korean cellular networks and international GSM cellular networks. This was a standard issue telephone, far different than the one he had used in North Korea to send coded traffic to his CIA handlers. Once he had been made aware that he was to travel outside North Korea, he had taken the internal electronics package out of his phone and replaced it with the original standard electronics, assuming he would not be allowed to take his phone with him. This new phone was of limited value to him. He could not send encrypted packets of information, but it was better than being completely naked from a communications standpoint. As soon as his CIA contacts knew the model of the cell phone they could configure a customized electronics package for the phone, if Kim could make contact with them once he got to his final destination.
After a short briefing from the commando team leader, the four man group prepared to leave at zero-one-hundred hours for the infiltration. At the last moment, the commando leader thrust a Russian-made 7.62 mm automatic pistol into General Kim’s hand and said, “Mr. Kim, here is a loaded pistol. Use it only as a last resort. When you get to the safe-house in Seoul, give it to the driver, and he will dispose of it. You will have no further need of it on this trip.”
The men trudged off into the darkness with Kim staying in the middle of the small group. Their vision was enhanced with Israeli-made night vision goggles that amplified the dim starlight into a visible multi-shade green mosaic cluttered with darker objects representing trees and other vegetation, enabling them to make their way along the path even in the darkness. Occasionally the point man would signal the group to stop by raising his hand and the men would sink to their knees for five or ten minutes to listen for any moving army patrols. After an hour, the leader brought the men together and whispered to them earnestly, “We are about to cross the Imjin River at a very shallow point. Try to stay on the rocks, and you won’t get too wet. Once we cross this river, we will be in South Korea, so we must be very vigilant for American patrols. From here it is only four more miles to Munsan-ni. Once we are there we will be met by your driver, and we will return to North Korea. Good luck on your journey, Mr. Kim.”
Kim marveled at two things. One, he was now Mr. Kim, not General Kim, so his former lofty status was now reduced to a civilian of dubious circumstance. He was now essentially on his own with no support system except for unknowns who held his life in their hands until he arrived at his ultimate destination. Secondly, he was impressed with the bravery, skill, and professional attitude of these North Korean commandos who obviously had done this many times, risking capture or being killed if they were caught by the Americans or South Koreans. If captured by the latter, things would break bad for them as there was an unbridled enmity between the military forces of the divided Koreans. Interrogations of one by the other were devoid of any subtly.
The rest of the journey, once past the demilitarized zone, was easier terrain and the men made good time, always in silence. At zero four-thirty they reached the outskirts of the village of Munsan-ni. The leader left Kim and the other soldiers behind and made his way along the dike of a rice paddy, disappearing from the men’s view. Fifteen minutes later he reappeared and whispered to Kim, “I have made contact with the driver. Follow me, and I will take you there. You may remove the jumpsuit now and give it to Number Three. Best of luck to you in your new duties. The Brilliant New Light is depending on you!”
Twenty minutes later Kim was sitting in the back seat of a late model Hyundai sedan taking off the muddy boots and replacing them with the South Korean-made sneakers, as the driver drove him silently down the paved road toward the South Korean capital city of Seoul. What lay ahead he truly did not know.
*
Clayton Wheatley placed a call to Chance Lyon, who picked up on the third ring after the caller I.D. flashed ‘Groomer’.
“SEALyon,” Chance answered. “Chance this is Director Wheatley. Where are you now?”
“We’re still at Ellington in Houston, living in luxury in the BOQ here,” Chance said facetiously. “I was kind of expecting your call.”
“Look, Chance, I’ll get an FBI Citation out of here this afternoon and meet you at the Base Commander’s HQ this evening. I’ll be bringing Marilyn Mitchell and her DDI with me to discuss the latest on the Korean situation. Can you and your sidekick, Olyphant, meet us there at six?”
“I’ll try to pull him away from the pistol range, sir, but we’ll see you then.”
*
Early the next morning Kim was awakened by the otherwise largely uncommunicative North Korean agents and told they would leave in less than one hour. They left the safe-house and drove in silence until they came to the approaches to Kimbo International Airport, shown by the numerous directional signs mounted over the freeway. At least I know what airport I am leaving from, thought Kim, but where is my destination?
Once inside the terminal, one of the Koreans accompanying h
im handed him a ticket indicating he was leaving Kimbo in one hour for Beijing. “When you arrive at the KAL terminal in Beijing, you will be met by another person who will ask you if you would like to have coffee. Say “yes, but I prefer de-café”.” That person will give you a newspaper. Inside will be another ticket to your ultimate destination. Good luck.” Then the other Korean abruptly turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Kim had no idea if he was being accompanied or followed by another North Korean agent on the flight to Beijing, but reasoned that he might be, at least until he boarded the flight out of Beijing. He did nothing unexpected to attract attention of any potential watcher. Perhaps he would have to wait until he reached his ultimate destination before he made any attempt to use his cell phone to contact someone at Langley.
Once airborne and as the in-flight service began, Kim was routinely approached by a flight attendant and asked for his order. In time, she came back with her tray with his beverage, placing it on the seat-back tray with several napkins, one of which was folded. Kim noticed the flight attendant make unusually long eye contact with him as she darted her eyes in the direction of the tray. Kim nonchalantly partook of his beverage while carefully palming the folded napkin, stuffing it in his shirt underneath the folded down tray table.
After a few minutes Kim got up from his seat to use the lavatory in the rear of the plane, and when safely out of view of others he took out the napkin and read the message written in red ink.
Your shadow is in seat 17-D. If you have a message for Mr. Roberts write it on a napkin and slip it back to the flight attendant on your way back to the seat or when you get off the plane. Passenger in 17-D will be sleeping soon (!), so no worries.
Kim was suddenly exhilarated that he was not alone at the beginning of this mysterious journey. Apparently the CIA was one or two steps ahead of the North Koreans orchestrating Kim’s movement and suspected he might have some news he wanted to convey to them, but might not be in a position to do so. The idea of going through Doug Roberts, the CIA Station Chief in Islamabad, Pakistan, who had recruited and handled Kim while he was stationed in Pakistan was a novel and welcome one. Kim grabbed a towel from the dispenser and scribbled a message: