by Rawlin Cash
He turned away from the screen and answered his phone.
"What do you want?" Cosgrove muttered.
"Mr. Vice President, an explosion in Pearl Harbor. A nuclear..." He stopped. The caller was out of breath.
That thin smile appeared back on Cosgrove's face. The one he'd tried to hide from everyone when they told him the President had been kidnapped. "Take a breath, son," Cosgrove said. "What do you mean?"
"Sir, there's been a nuclear explosion. At least twenty miles offshore. No fatalities."
"Is it North Korean?"
"Yes."
"Good," Cosgrove said.
"What?"
Cosgrove realized that he shouldn't have said that out loud. He corrected himself. "I mean, that's awful."
"Yes," the NSA said. He hadn't realized Cosgrove's mistake. "What should we do?"
"I'll finish up my call with our NATO allies. I'm sure they will now realize why we can't go to war. If North Korea has nuclear bombs, then that changes the whole playing field."
"Of course, Mr. Vice President."
Cosgrove hung up and turned back to the NATO allies.
"Gentleman," he said. "Based on your reactions, I'm sure you've just heard the news..."
Twenty-Seven
The missile exploded in the sky, creating a massive mushroom cloud. The cloud cap turned a dark orange due to the intense heat and the combination of oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere. It hung in the sky, sending radioactive debris into the air.
Hunter had seen nuke detonation once before.
A long time ago.
A story for another time.
This one was different.
More amateur.
This one was smaller than the Tsar bomb he'd seen ignited in Siberia. And, it had ignited far enough away that it wasn't going to pose a threat to him or anyone else in Hawaii.
It would scare the literal shit out of everyone, but that was about it.
It was symbolic.
A gesture by General Woo.
"What the hell are you after, Woo?" Hunter mumbled to himself as he watched the cap of the mushroom cloud dissipate into the upper atmosphere.
Gus and Margot were on their knees. They were shielding their heads with their hands. The British submarine officer who had met them on pier had jumped into the water.
Hunter walked up to Margot and put his hand on her back.
"That's not going to help, sweetheart," he said. "If that nuke were close enough, we'd be dead by now."
"What the hell was that?" Margot said as she pushed herself up from the deck. "What the bloody hell is going on?"
Hunter bit his lip and looked back at the cloud of radioactive terror. “A message,” he said. “He’s trying to show us that he isn’t messing around.”
"Fucking hell!" Gus said.
Hunter looked at the MI6 officer. The poor bastard had wet himself. He gestured down with his head at Gus's crotch.
Gus noticed right away. "Oh, fuck me," he grunted. His face turned red.
Hunter walked to the edge of the sub to check on the young officer who'd jumped in. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," the kid said. "I'm just fine."
Hunter rolled his eyes. He made his way back to Gus and Margot, who were both still trying to catch their breath. "We're lucky they sent a small one."
"You think they have bigger ones?" Margot asked.
"Maybe," Hunter said.
“So what now?" she asked.
"What now? Well, we get on this sub, and we head to the Sea of Japan," Hunter said. "Isn't that what I'm here to do?"
Margot smiled. "You're one of a kind, Jack Hunter.” She winked at him.
Gus, while trying to the piss stain on his pants, noticed. He was beginning to dislike Hunter .
Twenty-Eight
Fawn had just finished her morning run when she opened her front door to her house and noticed that there were thirty unread messages on her phone. They were from her aides at Langley. One was from Margot.
"What the fuck?" she said.
Something big had just gone down.
She flicked on the news and began to read through the texts.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck."
She dialed Margot.
She needed to talk to Hunter.
She was worried about him. She wanted to know if he was alright.
"Took you long enough," Margot said. "It's been thirty minutes since the explosion."
"Put Jack on!"
The news was on in the background, and the scroll at the bottom of the screen gave Fawn some context.
'North Korea Ignites Nuclear Bomb off the coast of Hawaii,' it said.
It was sensational. Insane.
"Fawn," Hunter said.
"Are you okay?"
He chuckled. “Never better.”
"News reports suggest that it was North Korea."
"Of course, it was," he said. "Has the Vice President responded?"
Fawn watched a bit more of the news, keeping Hunter on the line. She waited until she saw what she need to see.
"He's a fucking prick," she said. "He's using this as an excuse not to take action."
Hunter sighed. "You sound out of breath."
"I'm sorry," Fawn said. "I just ran twenty kilometers."
Hunter laughed. "How's Hank?"
"He's good. He's been monitoring military channels. No one knows what we're up to. The joint-chiefs are mostly pissed off that the Vice President has them standing pat."
Hunter didn't respond.
"Are you there?" Fawn asked.
"Yes, calm down," he said. "You weren't the one that almost vanished into atomic dust. You need to seize advantage of this moment. You need to put the pressure on Cosgrove.”
"What should I do?"
"You need to get Hank to release the transcripts of the joint-chiefs complaining about the Vice President. Cosgrove has been playing the news like a fiddle. It's time to flip the game on its head. It's time to make him look like an asshole. I want to see what he's made of."
Fawn nodded. She didn't want to tell Hunter this, but what he'd just suggested was exactly what Hale would have suggested. "I'll get him to release the transcripts."
"Good," Hunter said.
"But, Jack..." She drifted off. "If North Korea is willing to ignite a nuke... if they have the capability."
“That’s why I’m here,” he said.
He hung up.
Fawn wanted to collapse. She checked her heart rate on her smartwatch. It was over one-ninety. She dialed Hank and continued to watch the news.
It was unbelievable.
"What is it?" Hank said. "You see the nuke? Is Jack still alive?" He chuckled.
"Yes," Fawn said. "I need you to do something for me. We need to meet.”
Twenty-Nine
General Woo sipped a glass of Japanese whiskey. It was the first alcoholic drink he’d had in years, but he needed something to calm him down.
He felt ashamed that he liked it so much. A North Korean with an affinity for something Japanese was like a Catholic celebrating Hannukah. It felt sinful.
Still, the Japanese made good whiskey.
He was sat at the head of a large table in a briefing room in a location far from Pyongyang.
He'd just pulled off the most stunning coup in the history of human history and felt like he deserved a moment of recognition. He'd assassinated the Supreme Leader, and he had the President of the most powerful nation in the world in a cell.
And he'd pulled it all off without a hitch.
North Korea was his.
His two most trusted advisors were with him in the briefing room. June Park and Ho Bong-hak. They were the two who helped him convince the rest of the military that the Supreme Leader's actions were going to result in the demise of the nation.
June Park was like a daughter to Woo. She was young, beautiful, and was the best sniper in the entire country. There was no one whom he trusted more. Ho Bong-hak was the exact opposite.
He was a sinister and intelligent. He was the one who made the arrangement with the Chinese military.
Woo shot back the glass of whiskey he'd poured himself and sighed.
“What’s this I hear in the news about the Chinese President making an arrangement with Vice President Cosgrove?” Woo said to Bong-hak. “The Chinese are on our side.”
“I’ve been told that they’re just doing what they have to do to keep the US military away. Once you kill the Vice President, they’ll help us take over South Korea. Korea will be one again.”
Woo chuckled. “I hope they don’t think I am some pawn that they can manipulate to take control of the region. We are too proud a people to bend the knee to a foreign horde."
“Perhaps you should ease off the alcohol,” Park said.
“Nonsense,” Bong-hak said. “General Woo deserves a moment to celebrate.”
Park nodded. “True. He pull off the most stunning victory in the history of our great nation.” She turned to Woo and raised a glass. “You greatness inspires the people. They fear your power."
Woo poured himself another shot of whiskey and shot it back.
“At least the Chinese were correct about the Americans,” Woo said. “They won’t invade us.”
"Yes," Park said. "The Americans are scared. That is why they won't fight us. They're weak. They are afraid."
"We launched a nuclear bomb off the coast of their country," Woo said. "And they still won't come after us. They look weak and pathetic. They're insulting us by not striking back."
Bong-hak shrugged. “Our Chinese allies were correct.”
"Yes," Woo said. “If American troops arrive, we will show the true power of the North Korean army. We will crush them, or we will die trying. I don't care how many soldiers we lose. Every American that dies will be a victory for our nation. We will weaken them, the way they spent a century weakening us. They've driven us to suicide. They've driven us to this."
"So what do we do now?" Park asked.
“We wait for four days,” Woo said. "I will kill the US president on the anniversary of my father’s death.”
“The Chinese are hoping we can push up the execution,” Bong-hak said.
“No,” Woo shouted. “I will honor my father by killing the President on the day of his death.”
“You will upset Beijing,” Park said.
“They are getting the better deal in this coup,” Woo said. “They can wait.”
Bong-hak nervously nodded.
Thirty
The Triumph left Pearl Harbor once the confusion surrounding the detonation of the nuclear bomb had subsided. The United States military was waiting for word from their new Commander-in-Chief, Vice President Cosgrove, for a response.
"We're not going to war," Cosgrove said via a televised address. "We're going to find a diplomatic end to this conflict with the help of Chinese.”
Margot scoffed when she heard the Vice President's statement. Jack, Guss, and Margot were all in a small cabin in the nuclear submarine. They were watching the news report on Gus's phone.
"This is bullshit," Margot said. "Why won't your country help? You're President is in danger. They just fired a nuke."
Hunter knew what was up. It was clear as day. He turned to Margot, who had her head in her hands. "This is a political game. They're waiting for the President to die. This is about keeping China happy.”
"And you think the United States will just bend over backwards for China?” Gus said.
"Yes," Hunter responded. “This is about money. Vice President Cosgrove doesn’t give a rats ass about anything else. It’s obvious.”
"We can't let this happen," Margot said. "We need to save your President. It's the only way the world will escape the worst outcome of this whole conflict—an Asia dominated by China.”
Gus put his arms around Margot. "It will be okay," he said. "We'll do everything we can to avoid a conflict."
Margot brushed Gus's arms away.
Hunter chuckled.
Gus's face turned red. He was embarrassed. "I'm going to the mess hall to get a coffee," he said. "You two want anything?"
Both Hunter and Margot shook their heads.
Gus left.
Hunter turned to Margot. "So, you guys had a thing?"
"It was a lifetime ago. It was during my second assignment. I was in Italy. Gus knows how to schmooze."
Hunter laughed.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"You're embarrassed."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"Fuck you," she said.
Hunter pushed himself up from his chair and embraced her. He kissed her and held her close. She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat. It was so slow.
"I thought we were going to die," she said. "The nuclear bomb. What the hell is happening?"
"It's a calamity," Hunter said. "It's a complete fucking shit-show. And those in power are going to make it worse, like they always do."
Margot felt safe in his arms. She wanted to stay there. She wanted to listen to the slow-tick of his heart.
He pushed her away, however. Hunter needed a hit of G-12. He rummaged through his backpack and found a vial.
"What's that?" Margot asked.
"It's the reason why I came back to the CIA,” Hunter said. "The CIA messed with my mind, and this is the only thing keeping me sane." He showed Margot the vial.
"A drug?"
"Yes."
“What does it do?”
“It calms me down. It helps me remember. My whole world apart before this… before you.”
She smiled. “I should get some things ready.”
“Of course,” Hunter said.
Margot left cabin.
Hunter began to unpack his things. The cabin was relatively nice, considering how small a space they were given. It would take them two days to get to the Sea of Japan. It would be a long, claustrophobic two days.
The Triumph would swim through the Pacific's depths, then through mainland Japan and the island of Hokkaido. Once in the Sea of Japan, it would head west.
And that's when the hard work would begin.
Hunter had been in a nuclear sub twice before. Both times in the Arctic Sea. If he'd learned a thing about himself during those two trips, it was that he didn't like confined spaces.
The entire length of the S-91 Triumph was 353 feet. Its beam was forty feet. It was a tight fit for the 126 crew members aboard.
Its propulsion system was powered by an S6W or a submarine platform, sixth-generation core, Westinghouse pressurized water reactor. It had unlimited range and endurance underwater. It could stay submerged for years and years. The only limitation to that length was food and supplies.
In terms of armaments, the Seawolf-class sub carried fifty UGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles for attacking land and sea surface targets, eight torpedo tubes, Boeing Harpoon missiles, Mark 48 torpedoes, and the ability to lay mines.
There were six floors inside. The sonar, combat systems electronics spaces were located near the front, as were the torpedo tubes. Command control was in the center of the sub, right in front of the wardroom and crew living quarters. The nuclear reactor was in the back, alongside the control computers, environmental systems control, cooling plants, turbine, and propellor shaft.
With a max submerged speed of thirty-five knots, it wasn't exactly fast. Still, it was quicker than most large subs, and it had the ability for quick maneuverability.
Once Hunter was done settling in, he made his way to the mess hall to get some food.
The mess hall offered gourmet food and had a kitchen staff of fifteen who worked day and night.
Hunter ordered some tender chicken loin, green beans, and mashed potatoes and sat down at a booth, all alone. The effects of the G-12 had kicked in. He was feeling better.
He sliced into the tender chicken and took a big bite, but as he swallowed, he saw her again.
Margot walked into the mess hall and glared at him.
After getting a plate of bean and mashed potatoes, no meat—she was a vegetarian apparently—she sat down across from Hunter.
"How's the food?" she asked.
"It's alright," Hunter said.
"I didn't know you were that broken. I didn't know you needed drugs to get by."
Hunter smirked. "Fawn supplied me with enough to get through the mission."
"I'm worried. She should have told me about your problems."
"It's your fault for not recognizing them."
"What happens if you run out?"
"Then I'll lose my mind, I think. I don't know."
Margot ate silently after hearing that.
Hunter finished his meal and picked up his tray. "I'm heading to sleeping quarters. I need to rest up."
Margot nodded.
Hunter walked away from her and shook his head. He didn't know why he felt like an asshole for telling her the truth. Perhaps it was the way she looked at him. In any case, he wanted to get on with the mission. The sooner they were in the Sea of Japan, the better.
Thirty-One
Fawn and Hank met at the Langley campus. It was late. Hank was nursing one hell of a hangover, and Fawn was upset that she missed her nightly run. She loved running through the streets of Washington at night. There was a quiet beauty to them.
They were meeting to discuss the contingency plan.
If Hunter's mission in North Korea failed, they needed to make sure that the Vice President didn't do anything stupid. There were too many players in the game to risk all-out war.
"What the hell do you think we should do?" Hank asked.
"You've been monitoring the military comm channels?"
"Yes," Hank said. "I've been doing exactly what the girl in the MI6 told me to do."
"What are the joint-chiefs saying about the Vice-President's actions?"
"What do you think?" Hank said. "They're pissed off. They're angry. They want to rescue the President. They're wondering why the hell we're sitting on our hands, doing nothing. They're all ready and on stand-by. They just need the Vice President to give the word."
"You need to release those transcripts to the media," Fawn said. "It will cause a national stir."