Lee cocked his head. "Standard hostage rescue tactics? Breach and disorient?"
"Naw. Won't work." Given a tactical problem, Schnier was back with us mentally, "Central tower is too much of a choke point. Don't have enough Rangers to climb 100 exposed meters in the face of enemy fire.
"My platoon can engage them from a distance. Out-snipe them. They're consolidated in the tower; no freedom of movement.
"Shoot and move. Circle the place. Wait for a good target. Eventually we'll get most of 'em."
I could make it work. Drop in from the top. Bypass their whole defenses.
Not that Schnier would care.
"Where do you want us?"
"My platoon don't need anyone but shooters near the tower. That's how good men get killed."
Should I mention my idea to Schnier?
We only had until morning. "Even if you take most of them out, they've got a dead man's switch on that nuke. Your snipers are good, but if someone hits that guy, we're all dead, along with the whole city. Even if you take out everyone else, he can release the button as soon as he decides they've lost."
"We've got to gamble he won't do it, or else it malfunctions. Got a better idea?"
Time to get real. What would Bishop want?
For us to work together and not waste his sacrifice.
"Vertical envelopment. Drop someone in from the top. Unlike our guys, the People's Army isn't in the habit of ferrying everywhere in helicopters, so they probably aren't watching the skies too well.
"Even if they are, one dude in a HALO jump could land on the top of the tower. Sneak up on the guy with the button, or talk him down enough to convince him to negotiate. Surprise 'em."
Schnier put his hand under his helmet's chinstrap. Leaned against the cable car station's wall.
"I know you want to go."
Who wouldn't?
"Of course, but it's up to you. Your command. My platoon will support in any way needed. If you send one of your dudes, I'll walk 'em through the details and photos I got from Hyo-jin.
"Hasn't responded since that first email, but I'm sure she's still a captive in the tower. Can help disarm the nuke."
Schnier reached out and tapped the unit scroll on my shoulder. "Bishop wanted me to forgive all the crap you've been putting us through. You earned that scroll.
"You should make the HALO jump. If anyone in the company can disarm the nuke, it's you. We'll keep 'em occupied here on the ground. Focus their attention. Make sure you only have to deal with one or two at the most.
"Don't screw this up."
I nodded, not able to speak for a moment. Finally belonged to the RRC's team, even if we'd lost the best one of us all.
The man who always made me feel welcome, even when I was an idiot.
Lee pointed down the hill at the cable car towers holding its wires up above the trees and brush. "I'll call for a bus from the 2nd Aviation Regiment. Can't land in the courtyard without taking fire, and the city is too crowded, but I bet they could drop a rope ladder to one of those cable cars."
"Good idea. Make the arrangements while I go talk to our guests."
Lee got on the phone to our air support.
Schnier followed me. Stopped me halfway to the other. "Harper, here's the kicker. If you get Kwon away from the nuke, have to take him out. Can't risk that thing goes off."
"Don't worry. I won't risk the city. We'll stop that device by any means necessary."
"Good."
We walked over to where Michelle calmed Jin-son and his Mother down.
Tough enough to almost get blowed up without watching Bishop die. Damn it, even thinking about it made me use his words.
Needed to focus on accomplishing the mission. "You dudes okay?"
Jin-son's Mother looked up at me, "Sorry for your loss, but not a dude."
I held up my hands. "Not what I . . . it's just that where I'm from . . . anyway, know this must be tough for you both, Jin-son's near miss."
Jin-son bowed from the waist. Stared up at me.
"Yeah, I'd be dead if . . . I'm such an idiot."
He looked down. "Want his last words?"
At least he realized he owed Bishop. "Save them for later. Jin-son, I'll talk to your uncle. If I can convince him to guarantee safe passage, will you come into the tower? Doubt he'll leave it."
His mother stood up. Stuck her chin out at me. "We honor memory of man who die for my son. If you need us to do, we do."
Half-expected her to not want her son to take any more risks, but I guess she finally understood.
No one would leave until we disarmed that nuke. Well, no one but me, but I was coming back.
Gave Michelle a hug.
Nodded to Schnier. Lee had made the arrangements: I was due to surf the top of a cable car.
I'm such a Barney sometimes.
Chapter Forty-Two: Surfing a Storm
Lieutenant Kwon Chol was so useless here, tied by a dead man's switch to the Goshawk Device on the wooden table above.
He fought in the thick of the action; didn't hide and wait for enemies to arrive.
He listened from under the table until the firing around the tower died off. If the Imperialists made it up the central shaft, he'd have to release his constant pressure on the dead man's switch.
Then, oblivion.
Wouldn't come to that. He had faith in his adopted uncle to use this threat to force peace with the South.
Re-unification of Korea, on Supreme Leader's terms. He'd be a hero, the soldier who held the button which forced everyone to the negotiation table.
Pahk filled him in on the action over the radio.
They'd tried to breach the doors below with some sort of rolling robot device, but his fortified men fought them off.
The sniper fire outside would keep up as long as their enemies remained in denial about the true situation.
Kwon could wait forever for them to come to their senses.
* * *
Surfing helps balance, but I couldn't stop shaking.
The storm I'd dodged in the Yellow Sea made it to Seoul in time to catch me standing on top of the cable car.
I held on to the curved steel girders which attached the suspension wires to the roof. Sort of a u-shape, they balanced the car below the cable, keeping it in the air.
The car dangled partway between stations. Lost some linear movement when Lee had the operator stop it, but still swayed with residual momentum.
Not exactly like riding a wave, but I shifted my balance to match the timing of the twenty-person pendulum.
Don't look down.
Instead, I stared into the gathering storm clouds. Searched for my ride.
Unlike the Big Army bus drivers, the 2nd Aviation reported to Special Operations Command. Plenty of experience with precarious pickups.
The charcoal green of the copter's bottom blended with the clouds. It flared into a hover above me.
The Black Hawk's crew chief dropped a rope ladder the remaining ten meters between us, careful not to tangle it in the cables and wires.
I stepped on the third to bottom rung.
Wrapped my elbow around the closest one. Leaned away from the cable car to ensure a clean separation.
Dangling from the sky, trusting your life to someone else, is tough, but we didn't have time to waste if this trip would make a difference.
The Black Hawk lifted a dozen gentle meters so I wouldn't get hammered back into the cable car.
I climbed the ladder.
The crew chief interlocked hands to forearms. Helped me over the side.
Safely aboard, I knelt on the deck.
He clipped me into a safety harness. Gave the pilot the wind-up signal. We gained altitude.
I gave him a thumbs up.
Chief handed me a Peltor noise canceling headset.
Put on the headset. Tapped the mic. Worked. "Thanks for the ride."
He passed over a combination altimeter/GPS in a square black package attached to Velcro
straps.
"No problem. Just going up from here, right?"
I put the little screen on the back of my left hand. Wrapped the Velcro straps around my gloved wrist and palm.
"Yeah, up into the clouds where the tangos in the tower can't see us, then over top of it. I'll get out there. Can't fast-rope, this bird's blades would hit the radio tower. Can I borrow an RA-1?"
"You're jumping with whatever chute I hand you?"
"No other choice. Besides . . ." I pointed out at the storm clouds, "Trusting you guys to fly me through this junk in one piece anyway."
Chief shook his head, "Wouldn't jump with anything I didn't pack."
The wind knocked us sideways.
Bounced us up and down, but the pilot recovered with ease.
My right knee, not so much. I banged it on the floor again. Winced.
"Trust you dudes. No time, anyway. Let's go."
He handed me a clunky deployment bag containing a free-fall parachute. "At least it comes with a lifetime guarantee."
Everybody's a comedian. I slung it onto my back. Stepped into the harness. Attached it across my waist and chest.
We gained more altitude.
The cabin vibrated in time with the four-bladed rotor above. Reached the apex of the flight.
About 3 kilometers high, more of a medium altitude jump, no oxygen needed. I'd be opening low to minimize wind drift.
The pilot centered us over the tower.
I'd take all the help I could get to fight the shifting winds at various altitudes.
Besides, was cold up here.
The crew chief tapped me on the shoulder, "Go!"
I waddled to the open door. Dove headfirst into the blue-gray ocean.
Tumbled through the stored water vapor.
Stuck out my tongue to collect flakes of rainwater as they rushed past. Almost like the sea, except I surfed the storm.
What an adrenaline dump!
Head up, arms and legs extended for balance, the wind drove my limbs upward.
No static line this time; just a free-fall chute.
Gray and black clouds swirled around me; a never-ending puff of smoke which blocked out the world.
Checked the screen on the back of my left hand. Over the tower, but losing altitude fast.
Triple bolts of jagged lightning cracked from left to right. Blasted through the sky too close for comfort.
That Black Hawk better get back to K-9 air base.
Arch. Look. Trace. Grab.
Arched my back. Looked at the main ripcord handle on my right. Extended my left hand beyond my head, palm down. Traced the main ripcord housing. Grabbed the main ripcord handle with my right hand.
Tugged the handle out of its pocket. Used it to pull the main ripcord cable. Full-arm extension.
Looked straight down.
Pilot chute deployed with a pop. Yanked the main canopy after it with a chunk.
The slider followed. Kept my suspension line groups separated.
Solid jolt. Air caught the main canopy. A good deploy.
No need for the reserve chute.
I slipped the ripcord handle over my wrist. Engaged my night vision.
Grabbed the steering line toggles.
Pulling either toggle pinched the respective corner of the rectangular chute above me down. Turned me in that direction.
Checked the back of my hand for position. Adjusted my direction to head for the tower.
In an RA-1 free-fall chute, I could glide sideways four feet for every foot I descended. Made for precise targeting, even if I didn't begin right above the drop zone.
The right altitude would be critical, otherwise I risked impaling my chute on the radio tower at the top, or worse, missing the roof of the observation deck and ending up on the ground at the base of the tower, rendering this entire trip pointless.
An occasional crack of rifle fire.
Crew chief must've notified Schnier as planned. His men kept the enemy's attention fixed on the ground, hunting for the dudes shooting at 'em.
Close, but still nothing beyond the clouds.
A moment later, Seoul's skyline of lights surrounded me. I'd dropped below the cloud cover.
Car headlights streamed along the snaking roads.
Blinking lights on top of the tower lined up beneath me.
Turned to approach at an angle. Cut across the roof of the observation deck. Aimed my chute to skim to the side of the central antenna.
That approach gave me the longest distance from edge to edge.
A gust pushed me to the side. Now my chute was aimed right at the central tower.
Pulled a steering toggle to turn left. Pulled the opposite one. Lined myself back up.
A quick jog in the air to get back on track.
Close now. Roof approached in a blur.
Flared both toggles. Slowed my descent for a soft landing.
A climate control unit on the roof loomed up at me.
Lifted my feet. Bent my knees even farther to avoid it.
Boots hit the roof. I folded over. Onto my side.
Scraped across the embedded gravel until friction ended my ride.
Dropped my now lighter pack. Only gathered the chute enough to stuff it underneath. Make sure the stiff cross breeze didn't drag it off the building.
Made it.
Now to put my hostage negotiation training to use. Needed to build a relationship of trust with the dude who had his finger on the button to destroy us all.
Assuming I suppressed my desire to avenge Bishop long enough.
Chapter Forty-Three: The Art
Kwon sat on the rough-hewn bench, in the middle of opulence and destruction. What a waste of electricity.
City lights in three directions, blasted windows and ceiling in the fourth.
No point in responding to the intermittent sniper fire directed at his men. Not even if they became visible to the outside.
Killing one or two more enemies wouldn't complete their mission.
He'd ordered everyone to just bunker down. Prepare themselves for more close-in attacks. Each had extra ammunition, food, and water nearby.
Who knew how long negotiations would take.
The scientist woman huddled up against the window. Refused to stand again.
Made a good shield for that side.
Perhaps they could've taken hostages when they arrived. Lined them up in each direction to prevent enemy fire.
But such a hassle to feed them, take them to the restroom, and so on. Only had a limited number of men; too few to keep hostages.
She might know something useful, but perhaps he should just put her out of her misery.
Such a waste.
Something thumped into the roof above.
They weren't guarding the top of the observation deck. Again, not enough men available; they were already thin at ground level.
Not for the first time, Kwon considered how Meon tasked them at the last minute, without time for proper planning and rehearsals.
Cover. He ducked back under the table.
Radioed Pahk, "Get up here. May have a visitor from above."
* * *
All alone on the observation deck, but with a team down on the ground supporting me.
Cold wind and Bishop's death ruined it.
Three clicks of my pick gun. The lock on the stairwell's roof door opened.
Crept down two flights of stairs. Steel emergency door at the observation level barred further progress.
Fed a fiber-optic spy snake camera beneath the door. Pushed its stiff tubing past the rubber weather stripping.
The video feed on my phone from the camera showed an open room curved around the tower's central shaft.
Hyo-jin huddled next to the outer window.
Kwon Chol, whom I'd last seen while reviewing the lab's security video, sat on a wooden bench on the other side of a matching table, each piece of furniture about the length of a long-board.
The nuke occupied the table
top; a horrendous center-piece.
With a twist of the camera's semi-rigid cable, I checked the areas on each side. One flank peaceful; the other open to the night sky. Room's ceiling pockmarked with bullet holes the size of my thumb.
Good thing I hadn't landed above that area.
The emergency exit door onto this staircase was designed to open toward me, with a crash bar on the other side, so I flipped out the door hinge popper on my multi-tool.
Using the hinge popper, a steel pin with a semi-circular guide around it, I made quiet work of the three hinges, setting each pin on the floor.
The door hung only by the friction of the zinc hinge loops.
One last check with the camera. Nothing had changed.
Tucked it into a cargo pocket.
Lifted the door. Just enough to take the weight off.
Pulled the hinge loops apart.
When infiltrating, sometimes it's easier to open a door the wrong direction.
Kwon Chol popped his head up as I set the door down. Too much noise.
Slung the barrel of my carbine in his direction. Put the laser designator on his chest.
He lifted his left fist. His thumb held down a red button attached to a thick wire.
"No closer!"
Dead man's switch.
His threat trumped mine, at least for now. Couldn't shoot him without unleashing destruction, turning the city's ten million residents plus Yongsan Base into collateral damage from our little fight.
Besides, I needed to build his trust in me, not threaten him.
Lifted my weapon horizontally to free the strap. Aimed it away from him. Rested it on the floor.
"Not here to hurt you. Let's talk, instead."
I tiptoed a few steps forward. Left my primary firearm behind.
Hyo-jin stood up. Her wrists and ankles were zip-tied to the railings, turning her normal grace into an awkward bend.
"Sam, it's a nuclear bomb!"
Kwon tucked his arms beneath his armpits, apparently satisfied I posed no immediate threat.
"Minister Meon is negotiating. I am a weapon, just as much as the one you leave behind you. You will trigger that weapon if you try to interfere. Tell your leaders to speak with Meon. There are no decision-makers here. No decisions to make."
He needed to see me as a person. Needed to cultivate empathy. Create a rapport.
I circled left for a few steps, toward Hyo-jin. "I'm aware of the enormity of the situation. Many families' lives are at stake. You hold the high cards."
Techno Ranger Page 35