Brilliant New Light (Chance Lyon military adventure series Book 3)

by Van Torrey

  On way to Beijing. Then to ??? Meeting contact who will brief me on the next step. Have a new Samsung S-12 with GSM. #82-555-555-0376.

  Being followed at least to Beijing. Then ???? How can I contact in you N.A.?

  In no more time than it took for an extended restroom visit on a commercial jetliner, Kim returned to his seat to wait for the opportunity to slip the note to the flight attendant.

  Twenty minutes before the flight was to arrive in Beijing, Kim took another walk to the rear head of the Boeing 787. As he passed seat 17-D he noticed the Korean passenger apparently in a deep sleep snoring loudly. So much for being followed, he thought.

  *

  As the flight began its gentle descent towards Beijing, General Kim lapsed into an uncharacteristic period of reflection of where his life had taken him in the past year. On the plus side was his meteoric rise from being a colonel in charge of one of the few alliances with a foreign country that was producing tangible strategic results for the DPRK and his promotion to three-star general, becoming the Chief of Staff to North Korea’s new strongman, General Fhang Jhai. As long as Fhang stayed in power, Kim’s future was bright. Also seen as a plus in Kim’s life, but something hidden far beneath the surface, were his activities as a paid informer for the American CIA. If those activities were ever exposed, Kim and his family would be severely punished and, unless killed, would suffer torture and unbearable hardship in the process. Kim was not afraid for himself - he would suffer the consequences stoically - but his sister, So-song, and their elderly mother would not be spared. So-song, in particular, as the long-time companion of General Fhang would be singled out for special punishment that would be unimaginable to General Kim.

  In spite of the power General Kim enjoyed serving as primary assistant to General Fhang, he did not have the freedom of movement he had while serving in Pakistan. The longer he was confined to Pyongyang and totally immersed in the twisted world of the new leader of the DPRK, while enduring his frequent alcohol-fueled raging outbursts and unpredictable behavior, the more he understood that Fhang was not the charismatic or visionary leader he professed to be. Kim came to know that the Brilliant New Light was nothing more than a delusional fantasy of a deranged megalomaniac. Even under inspired leadership and with a renewed spirit of cooperation with her neighbors and former adversaries, it would take many years before the DPRK could turn the corner to the point of improving the lives of her downtrodden citizens. Under Fhang, none of this would be possible in Kim’s lifetime. Kim was coming to the painful conclusion Fhang’s vision for North Korea was no better than the hated Chong family’s. There had to be a change, but Kim was reminded of the old saying in politics, “Better the Devil You Know than the Devil You Don’t”. At this point, Kim was ready to take a chance with the latter.

  *

  TO: DCI

  FROM: DDI

  TIME: 1130 HRS.

  FLASH TRAFFIC CHAMBERS ISLAMABAD. GAMMA LEAVING BEIJING FOR VANCOUVER ON JAPAN AIRLINES # A7629. HAS SAMSUNG S12 CELL. NEEDS ENCRYPTION CAPABILITY.

  TRAVELING ALONE. WILL BE MET AT YVR BY HANDLER. END.

  “Well Clayton, I’ve got to hand it to you, you were right on the money on that one,” declared Rachel Hunter.

  “Lucky guess,” replied the FBI Director.

  “How about calculated guess,” she rejoined.

  “I’ve got my two contractors racing to Vancouver in a FBI Citation as we speak. They should get there about two hours before the JAL flight.

  As soon as they clear customs they’ll be picked up by one of our people and be in a position to watch Gamma and follow him to wherever they take him,” replied Director Wheatley.

  “One of our people,” asked Rachel Hunter, raising her eyebrows with surprise.

  Marilyn Mitchell spoke up for the first time. “Ms. President, we have a few – well, one - CIA people working covertly in this area.”

  “Oh my,” remarked the President, “am I supposed to know this? I’m sure there is a very good reason for this, but isn’t this a little unorthodox? I mean the Canadians are our neighbors...our friends.”

  “Ma’am, yes it is. And perhaps this is something that needs to be looked at from a policy standpoint, but there are significant amounts of drugs and undocumented people coming through Vancouver and most of this is headed for the United States. The Canadians are not as concerned about this as we think they should be. President Braxton thought we needed to move our initial observation of this trafficking a little further north. That’s why we have a small presence there.”

  “Does this means their Mounties are snooping around here?” she asked.

  “Not that I’m aware of,” replied Marilyn Mitchell, anxious to end this aspect of the conversation.

  “Well, I’m glad I found out about this from you, rather than a phone call from the Prime Minister,” said Rachel Hunter a little testily.

  Hoping to change the direction of the conversation, Clayton Wheatley continued, “The important thing at the moment, ma’am, is to try to see who meets Gamma and where they take him. That’s what my contractors are tasked with today. After that, we need to determine the next step.”

  *

  Chance Lyon and Blackie Olyphant exited the private jet and made it through customs with everything but their personal firearms, which had been left back at Ellington. These would be replaced by similar items provided by their CIA chauffeur who met them at the curb in a nondescript Chevy sedan with tinted windows.

  “Right on time, guys, I’m Peggy. Must be nice traveling on a private jet,” said the athletic brunette driver. “If you pull up the floor mat in the back seat, there’s a trap door underneath. Inside there are a couple of SIG-Sauer P-226s with plenty of ammo and a bunch of Canadian money. I’m your ride until you have time to conveniently rent a car. We’ve booked a couple of rooms for you at the Marriott downtown, so you’re all set. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll get you there.”

  “Thanks, Peg,” replied Lyon. “Just get us to the JAL pick-up at the airport and park in the cell phone lot. I’ll call you for pick up, so be ready.” Chance programmed Peggy’s cell phone number into his cell and plunged the SIG into the shoulder holster underneath his windbreaker. In just moments the men were out of the car and moving toward the passenger greeting area in the JAL Terminal.

  Prepared only with multiple photos of General Kim that both men had on their cell phones, Lyon and Olyphant separated and gazed at the passengers from the JAL flight as they exited the security area and made their way to the baggage claim area or the ground transportation kiosks on the floor below. There were many Asians on the flight which made it extra stressful for Lyon and Blackie as the passengers spilled through the security barrier and into the open area of the arrival lounge. After a few minutes, Olyphant noticed that Lyon was moving from his spot and he simultaneously received a one-word pre-arranged text, “contact”. In moments both men were tracking Kim from different vantage points twenty yards away from their target.

  In less than a minute Kim was roughly brushed by an Asian woman pulling a rolling carry-on through the mass of people coming from the opposite direction. Kim immediately turned a one-eighty and, as if by pre-arranged signal, followed close behind her. As the distance rapidly closed between Kim and Lyon, Lyon darted off to the side of the moving mass of people in an attempt to turn around to follow Kim so it wouldn’t be obvious. Olyphant was already on the outside of the teeming group of passengers, and he easily turned and moved inside, falling just a few steps behind Kim. Olyphant was at least six inches taller than the average height of the group, and Lyon was able to key in on him and follow, even without seeing Kim himself. Lyon could see this coming to a rapid conclusion and called Peggy to pull up into the pickup area. “Already moving, Chance, just tell me which door number and I’ll be there in 30 seconds,” she said with a steadiness that belied her rookie status with CIA.

  As the growing hoard of passengers and their greeters moved like a sea tide toward the termina
l doors and out onto the street providing ground transportation, a series of gunshots rang out, followed by screams and shouts of bystanders. Within seconds the scene was one of bedlam as more shots were fired and the crowd surged in all directions to avoid the gunfire. More shots were fired, making perhaps a dozen in all. Both Chance Lyon and Blackie Olyphant were veterans of extreme, close-quarter combat and it was their nature, honed by training and experience, to run toward the gunfire in order to determine a source and to lay down counter fire, if possible. As the two men ran against the surging mass of panicked people, they burst out into an opening to see the Asian woman who had brushed up against Kim only moments before laying mortally wounded on the sidewalk. Olyphant could see her head wounds were fatal.

  Several other bystanders lay wounded or, perhaps dead, as others rushed to help them in some way. As Chance and Blackie looked anxiously around the crowd there was no sign of any gunmen. The shrieks of fear and anger slowly subsided as everyone in the crowd attempted to make sense of the carnage around them, and in the distance, faint sounds of first responder’s sirens could be heard, whose imminent arrival would create yet more chaos at the bloody scene.

  Lyon noticed an Asian man who must be General Kim, half kneeling, half crouching trying to stanch the flow of blood from his dangling left arm. Strangely, no one was approaching him to help. Chance yelled out at Blackie across the circle of people and commanded, “Get this guy’s carry-on and go to the car.” Just at that moment the white Chevy sedan slammed violently to a stop twenty feet away from the milling crowd and Peggy started honking its horn and flashing the headlights. Both men saw the car and began to move. Instinctively, Lyon ran toward General Kim, picked him up, threw him over his shoulder, and made it to the waiting car just steps behind Olyphant. “Get in back with this guy, Blackie, and try to stop the bleeding.” First the carry-on, then Kim, was hurled into the back seat by the burley Olyphant, as he followed, diving head first through the open door like a Keystone Cop.

  Chance Lyon piled into the front seat and shouted at Peggy, “GO...GO...GO!”

  He looked over at her in amazement as the nonplussed Peggy threw a folded paper sign up on the dashboard on which was printed ‘Vancouver Police.’ She was betting on that sign, and the red rotating gumball that she deftly placed on the roof of the sedan, to give them safe passage through the milling crowd and any authorities. In three minutes the Chevy containing Chance Lyon, Blackie Olyphant, Peggy, and the man who Chance Lyon hoped sincerely was Gamma, had exited the airport and were blasting down the freeway toward a CIA safe-house in Vancouver.

  *

  “Hello, Director Wheatley, this is Chance. I have good news and bad news.” Wheatley thought about asking Chance if this was a joke, but he thought better of that, knowing Lyon’s serious MO.

  “We caught up with Gamma, but that’s when the trail went cold. Somebody tried to kill him, and they did succeed in killing the woman who was to meet him at the airport. That’s the bad news. The good news is he’s safe with us and being treated for a minor gunshot wound. He’s going to be fine. Right now we’re staying on ice in the safe-house up here. Don’t know exactly what to do next.”

  Wheatley patched the CIA’s DDI into the call and the three men spent the next fifteen minutes discussing the events of earlier that day.

  “After much hesitation and suspicion, Gamma did finally confirm his identity, but only as Kim Dong-son, a Korean citizen starting a vacation in Canada. His papers are all in order and seem to be legitimate. We got a local doctor, who is known to one of the CIA spooks here, to treat Mr. Kim, and he’s going to be okay. I don’t think anybody saw this coming and now nobody knows what to do next, certainly not Mr. Kim. The media up here are treating this as some kind of a gang-hit and the girl had no ID, so she’s a “Jane Doe” at the moment,” explained Lyon.

  Fifteen minutes later Lyon received a call from the DDI. “Chance, I’ve discussed this with the Director and we’re sending Doug Chambers, Gamma’s former CIA handler in Islamabad, up there ASAP to give Gamma some confidence that you’re legitimate. Actually, Kim knew him by the alias of ‘Roberts’ while in Pakistan. Chambers will fly to San Francisco and take an FBI chartered jet from there to Vancouver. After you pick him up at the private jet terminal, take him to the safe-house to meet with Gamma. By then we’ll have a plan. Give us thirty-six hours or so.”

  *

  For the first time in many years General Kim was truly confused about what his overall life situation was and the prospects going forward. Everything up to the point of being brushed up against by an Asian woman pulling a rolling suitcase as he was walking in the passenger terminal had gone according to plan. He was to turn and follow her and jump into the same cab she summoned at the curb as the means of making their get-away. That was all he had been told by his briefers at the Seoul safe-house, no names, no phone numbers, no contact information. Everything was to have been passive for him, perhaps to prevent sensitive information from being divulged in the event of him being compromised during his journey from Korea to Vancouver. His masters had taken extraordinary precautions to prevent such losses, so they must have felt there was a significant risk when sending him to North America.

  Then there were these mysterious Americans, the woman and the two sinister looking men, who were physically fit, street smart, and obviously on a mission to at least follow him upon his arrival in Vancouver. At least to some degree he might owe them his life, as they had whisked him away from what must have been an ambush scene with him as one of the targets, and gotten him expert medical care. At first he was not sure he was exactly safe, in the strictest terms, but over the past twenty-four hours his anxieties had eased in that regard. He was being fed well and only very basic questions were being asked by one of the men they called Chance. He did not see these people as a threat and, as time passed, he began to actually feel protected by all three. It had been a very long time since Kim had felt his life was totally in the hands of others.

  “Mr. Kim,” Chance told him at the end of the first day, “I am informed that you know a gentleman by the name of Doug Roberts...a person you knew when you served in Pakistan.” Kim made no change of facial expression that would indicate any recognition, and Lyon continued. “I do not know Mr. Roberts nor do I know anything about your relationship with him. What I can tell you is he is coming here tomorrow to meet with you. Our orders are to keep you safe at least until then. Perhaps after the two of you meet, we will all be freer to discuss mutual interests.”

  Kim felt compelled to say something conciliatory, while not exposing any confidences to the three Americans. “Thank you for your many courtesies so far, sir,” he said. “It seems I am in your debt for saving my life and seeing that I received prompt medical care after that strange occurrence at the airport.”

  “Yes, strange may be too soft a word, Mr. Kim. The media reports that at least three innocent civilians were killed, several wounded, and the girl you were following was also killed. You were possibly one of the targets. Do you know why, or would you prefer to discuss that with the mysterious Mr. Roberts?”

  All Kim could come up with at the moment was, “I am at a loss, Mr. Chance.”

  “Yes, well, I am not here to interrogate you, Mr. Kim. I’ll be damned glad to see Mr. Roberts. Maybe we can all have a moment of clarity when he gets here.”

  *

  With Peggy as the driver, Chance Lyon met Doug Chambers at zero-four-hundred hours the next day as he cleared Canadian customs at the private terminal at YVR. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Chambers. Your boss told me you were coming and I’m your ride... actually your colleague. Peggy is actually your ride, don’t be fooled by her youthful appearance, she’s fast on her feet and is probably two steps ahead of most of us. She’s been a lot of help so far in this lash-up.”

  During the ride to the safe-house, Chambers explained to Chance he was Mr. Kim’s handler in Islamabad, and the fact there was a high degree of trust between the two. “The DDI said I
didn’t have to hold anything back from you and your partner. I’m the CIA Station Chief there and Mr. Kim, ‘Gamma’, as he is known at Langley, was and is an important asset to us. I’ve been briefed on your and Mr. Olyphant’s achievements, so I know neither of you is an amateur. I hope we can work effectively together.”

  “Thanks, but don’t give either of us too much credit, we’re just a couple of hired trouble-shooters who’ve managed to stay on this side of the dirt so far, Mr. Chambers. We know our job and are all too glad to let others do theirs.”

  *

  As Lyon escorted Doug Chambers into the dimly lit room of the CIA safe-house, Kim rose to greet their new guest. “Mr. Roberts, so nice to see you again, even though the circumstances are somewhat unusual,” said Kim as he reached out to shake hands.

  “General Kim, it’s been a long time. Welcome to America...well North America, anyway. Great to see you, General! And the name is actually Chambers,” he said with a knowing smile.

  “I bring you interesting new intelligence from the highest levels of the government of the DPRK, Doug,” Kim replied proudly.

  “Oh my, we do have some catching up to do!” enthused Chambers.

  CHAPTER 32

  COMPETITIVE GAME

  “Something deeply hidden had to be behind things.”

  Albert Einstein (Autobiographical Handwritten Note)

  *

  Doug Chambers was with Gamma until noon, catching up on the multiple points of strategic intelligence he had to offer about the regime in North Korea and the little he knew about his mission to Canada. Doug Chambers spent the early afternoon making a written report on the raw data received from Gamma, as well as each man’s interpretation of certain aspects of current conditions in the Hermit Kingdom. This report, and the tape recording of the conversation, was taken to a Federal Express office that afternoon by Peggy, destined for the secret CIA address in Washington.