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ICON

A novel

Harold Alvin

Copyright © 2012 by Harold Alvin.

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4797-6753-3 Ebook 978-1-4797-6754-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 9

Chapter 11

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 20

Chapter 23

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 28

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 36

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 64

Chapter 66

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

CHAPTER 1

P AUL J. CUSHING sat in his office, deep in thought about the impact of the merger of the CIA, FBI, Secret Service and twelve other organizations under one heading: the Department of Homeland Security. Sure, the theoretical synergy of so many different offices sharing information would have been great but Cushing knew all too well the mavericks, some of them in his own office, who always set out to make their own mark. Earlier, someone leaked information that the Secretary of Defense had helped to start a defense espionage unit back in 2001. Rumsfeld, one of those mavericks who made Cushing antsy, had been unhappy with the CIA and decided an independent unit would be necessary for the war on terror. Arrogant and brusque, he announced his intentions: “We need to circumvent the red tape, cut through all the bullshit put out by the extreme liberal left. One way to do this is to form this new group. We will call it the Strategic Branch. “This group includes linguists, interrogators, and technical specialists along with the recently empowered Special Operations Forces. They, according to some, had been operating in Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of the war in 2003. According to the leaked information, General Robert E. Miers, chairperson of the t Chief of Staff, declares the focus of this information is on emerging target countries – Somalia, Yemen, Indonesia, Philippines and Georgia. This closely guarded secret group will report directly to me. “Two of our main goals – set back in 2003 and 2004 – were to give combat forces better information about their immediate enemy and to find new tools to penetrate and destroy the shadowy organizations such as Al-Qaeda, which pose global threats to U.S. interests in conflict with little resemblance to conventional war. “The purpose is that this group is subject to fewer legal constraints. It involves new interpretations of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which governs armed services, and Title 50, which governs, among other things, military intelligence. Under this title, all departments of the executive branch are obliged to keep Congress fully informed of all intelligences activities. The law exempts traditional military

activities and their routine . “In other words, the CIA has one set of restrictions and oversights and the military has another. The original program was funded in the fiscal year-oh-five budget under the name Humint Augmentation Teams. We later changed the name. The chairperson of both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees ed the programs. One senator stated these intelligence programs were vital to our security interests and he was in favor of these programs.” After the announcement, Rumsfeld ed Cushing at the CIA. He wanted a small-specialized group for a particular mission. Paul knew many good men had retired from the CIA with impeccable files: Greco Mohammed was one. Yes, he had retired two years ago and had moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to live with his nurse, Maria Altos, the woman who helped bring him back to health after the mugging on the streets of Rio. The mugging was a setup by the desk clerk of the Copacabana Palace Hotel. Cushing and Greco maintained the slimmest of since the events of two years ago. Cushing’s private plane was used, in 2005, to carry the remains of Greco Fassoud the noted terrorist to Rio for burial in a private cemetery. In fact, Greco Fassoud and Greco Mohammed were the same. Greco Mohammed had slowly recovered from his injuries suffered in Mompox, Colombia. Cushing sent a security coded e-mail to “the bird of prey.”

“I know you are enjoying the surf at Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. I have a unique job that requires your expertise as a linguist. You will be in charge of the group. This group will have six people: you and three others plus two guides. I will allow you to choose from a list of people that I will give you. I really need your help. It is a dangerous mission. If you are captured you may even be tried for treason. It will create an international crisis. The United States, of course, will deny any knowledge of your existence. Let me know of your decision.” PJ

Greco was really enjoying his life in Rio. The first time, since he lost Jo, his first wife, he was happy and life now had real joy with Maria. She was a great nurse; an outstanding friend and he dearly loved her. He had long ago told her all his

past life and his involvement with the CIA, Al Qaeda, MS13 and the drug dealers of Colombia. He no longer looked over his shoulder nor did he have to stay one step ahead of those he dealt with and still yet another step or two ahead of the CIA who always was searching to kill him. His CIA tenure took on nearmythic status. Greco Fassoud, the universally hated Al-Qaeda who answered only to Osama bin Laden, had died from wounds received in a shootout at Mompox between CIA agents and drug dealers. His files with the CIA were sealed and stamped closed. The reason given was deceased: body unrecoverable. Greco promised Maria that no secrets would ever keep them apart again. At times, he was like a boy, giddy with the warm intimacies he shared with his beautiful Latin bride. Still, as profound as his love for his beloved nightingale had grown, he could not escape the embrace of his genuine love for his country. Sometimes, a silent cue from Maria – a touch on his shoulder or a slight brush against his cheek – signaled that she was acutely aware that, as deep as their love had become, his love of national duty and respect transcended every other emotion. Greco often wondered if Maria was genuinely satisfied with what he could really give her emotionally as her best friend. Maria still worked at the hospital. She had so much to offer to her patients, as Greco had discovered so intimately during those tenuous days of recovery a couple of years earlier. While she was at the hospital, he spent the mornings on the beach, walking, running, giving his body a chance to recover his “fighting” condition. For toning his arms, he usually carried two dumbbells weighing ten pounds each. His biceps were nearly as impressive as they were during his Texas college days. The injuries he suffered nearly took his life and, without ever letting Maria know, he wondered if he could ever recover to the physical condition he had when he worked on the “project.” Getting back to his old self revived those dormant yens for the tightrope action. After twenty-three years of outmaneuvering his quarry day in and day out, Greco seemed like the antithetical candidate for an office job. The daily workouts restocked his adrenalin. Today’s workout was particularly satisfying. He could feel and see the results of his efforts. Returning to their apartment, ensconced in a government compound, Greco showered, donned his cotton terry robe, and sat at his laptop, secured courtesy of prudent government officials, to check his email. He smiled when he noticed PJ’s communication.

This is exactly what I need. However, for the moment, Greco knew that the hardest part of his mission, at the outset, would be to win Maria’s endorsement. He quickly shot a response to Cushing: “I am deeply interested but I want to talk with Maria before making any decisions.” GM Greco anxiously awaited Maria’s arrival. Because their house-cleaner and cook had the day off he prepared dinner for them and even set a candle on the table and chilled their favorite Chardonnay. Maria was always punctual and she arrived home at exactly six p.m. As usual, he met her at the door, kissed her long, and announced he had prepared their evening meal. She was tired but hungry. She washed her hands and sat down at the table. Greco lit the candle and poured her a glass of their chilled wine. The meal seemed hardly a challenge for Greco. He settled on an appetizer Sopa de Palmito (cream of palm heart soup), Stroganoff de Camarao (shrimp stroganoff) for the main course, and Merengue de Morango (strawberry meringue) for dessert. The stereo was playing their favorite music from among Brazil’s most celebrated guitarists and composers – Luiz Bonfa. Two of Greco’s favorites were “Menina Flor” (The Gentle Rain) and “Perdido de Amor” (Almost in Love) and nothing would be complete without their favorite song “Nos Dois” (Us Two), which featured Luiz Avelars on the keyboard and guitarist Richardo Silveira. Greco had rekindled his youthful, romantic ways. Attentive as always, he asked Maria for details about her day. He enjoyed listening to her talk about her work. Rarely had he seen anybody feel so consistently rewarded by the trials, challenges, and achievements of work. Good or bad days, Maria truly loved her career. When they had finished their candlelight meal and their wine, he told her he had something important that he wanted to share. For the first time this evening, Maria frowned. Greco could see in her face that she was suspecting the worst. He silently slipped the printed email to her hands. As if she barely finished reading the first sentence, she started to pepper Greco with questions. He did not know. All he kept saying was that he wanted to talk with her first before finding anything else about this new assignment. He repeated, three times, that he understood her hesitation about the clandestine nature of his work. And, then, as if it really was needed, he told Maria how much

he loved his country. And, after all, he could not sleep knowing that a global war could throw hundreds of millions lives into catastrophic disruption. In fact, the war could end civilization for many nations. Their conversation continued far into the night. Maria’s concern could not be hidden. “Oh, Greco, I was so afraid when you left Rio to go to Cartagena. Then the man who attacked you in your room.” “Yes, Maria, I understand. It is for these reasons I stand strongly committed to my country.” Maria was a bit irked at Greco’s formal tone. “Greco, I know and understand your love for your country and I would love to be an American, too. When I was kidnapped and finally learned of your neardeath experience from the shooting in Mompox, I lived through so many nightmares worrying about you.”

“I know, Maria. but my country calls for me and I cannot ever ignore that.” “But, Greco, if I lose you… ?” “You won’t lose me. I will come back. I love you so very much.” “I love you, too, but without… I don’t think I could survive.” Greco waited a long moment in silence. “Maria, please read the email again.” They discussed the possibility of his being captured and tried as a spy. Fresh as the concerns seemed now, Greco always had faced that possibility. As much as she tried to obscure the fact, she knew his heart was in his work. He certainly was good at what he did. She saw the restlessness every day and she knew that eventually he was going to go back to his work. She just did not know when. She

loved him so much she would have followed him to the ends of the earth if only he had asked her. And, Greco knew the huge sacrifice that his wife would offer, confident that her love was extraordinary in its genuine nature. “I know that your heart is set on being of service to your country. Above all else, I want you to be happy.” Greco steeled his internal emotions. Her gifts would have been incomprehensible to the rank and file modern-day skeptic of virtually every other relationship. “I want you to be happy as well.” He knew she wanted him to marry her and he had never proposed or even hinted marriage. For a moment, he studied her face, looking for the slightest of physical cues. “What do you want to do with your life?” “What do you mean by what do I want to do with my life? I am a nurse and I thoroughly enjoy being able to help. Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a nurse.” “I mean what are your goals in life, your ambition? Where do you see yourself in the next twenty years?” She glanced at him and quickly looked away. Her azure eyes scanned the ceiling as if it were a clear, sunny day where those fluffy cumulus days become the stuff of carefree daydreams. After about fifteen seconds, she turned back to Greco. “I would like to become a U.S. citizen. I want to marry, settle down, have some children and have someone who loves me and wants to spend as much time as possible with me.” “Maria, I truly understand your hopes, dreams and desires. Over twenty years ago, I too, had those same desires and I stood helpless by a bedside and watch my dreams slip into eternity. A big part of me died that day. The ashes of those memories turned cold and I became just as cold and distant. My biggest fear always has been losing someone I love and I could not bear that prospect with you…”

Suddenly, Greco choked up. He paused, collected himself, and took Maria’s right hand. “Maria will you marry me?” “Of course, Greco, you know I will.” She grabbed Greco, hugged him as tight as possible, and kissed him repeatedly. Tears streaked her soft cheeks. “You have made me so happy! I can’t wait to begin making arrangements.” “Then let us plan this wedding as soon as possible. I will email P.J. and ask for at least forty-five days before I take this job. I’ll also ask P.J. to get the necessary paper work, so we can get you on the fast track for citizenship. We’ll get this done as quickly as possible. INS will issue a proxy making you an American citizen.” Greco immediately e-mailed the request and PJ started moving as soon as he finished reading the email. For Greco, PJ knew he could set the wheels into motion so that everything would be in order within forty-eight hours. He emailed Greco and advised him that all of his requests had been approved. Just as quickly, he would send the names of the men he would suggest to Greco for the assignment. This time, they would be going into North Korea to log the location of two suspected nuclear laboratories and the scientists working at those sites. Undoubtedly, the United States government would deny all connections should Greco and his team be discovered. Carrying no identification, they would be working under a new branch of government that reported directly to the Pentagon. While the group would be working under the Strategic Branch umbrella, the mission would be named “ICON” International Covert Operations Nuclear. In the event the mission failed, the United States government would refer to the group as overzealous mercenary rogues, or “soldiers of fortune.” Greco had no questions. His response to PJ was one word. “Agreed.”

The next day, Maria went to the hospital and requested a sabbatical leave for at least one year. She did not want the hospital to suspect anything except that Greco was an employee of an oil company. She constantly feared that drug dealers, soldiers for hire, and others would put him instantaneously on their hit list if they found out he was alive. The knew how hard Maria worked and when she told him that Greco had proposed to her the night before and she had accepted his proposal, he granted her request without any further questions. She went home, feeling exuberant and triumphant. The next day, she called the Archdiocese of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro. It would be a Roman Catholic wedding. She called Cardinal Archbishop Eusebio Oscar Scheid. Since he had baptized her as a baby, she wanted him to handle the wedding ceremonies. Cardinal Scheid beamed with satisfaction. “Has Greco ever been married?” “Yes.” Maria’s eyes reflected her sudden worry. “Well Maria, you know, I cannot perform the wedding ceremonies if he is divorced. The Church will not recognize the marriage, nor can we ask the blessing of God on such an action. It is a very short notice to petition the church for an annulment, that is if you want it granted in the next few weeks. These actions, sometimes, takes months to get approval. They could also be denied.” He saw the disappointment in her face. However, Maria suddenly brightened. “Oh, I forgot to tell you his wife is deceased. She ed away over twenty years ago.” “That’s one obstacle resolved. Oh, Maria, before I forget: What is his relationship with the Church?” “His relationship with the Church?

“Yes.” “Well, he converted to the Church from the Islamic faith over twenty years ago when he married Jo, his first wife.” “Oh, in that case I will be happy to pronounce my blessings and the blessings of the Church on you both.” She called the florist and arranged for flowers, orchids and red roses to decorate the church and the reception area. She went to see her dressmaker. Angelina Facenda, the tailor, was very happy for Maria. She took her measurements and said it would take about two weeks for the dress to be ready. It would be white “A-Line” design with a sweetheart neckline and pink floral appliqué around the bottom of the gown. The bridesmaids would wear pink strapless full-length Georgette dresses and a dark rose ribbon bow at the natural waistline with pleats in the front only. Maria called her three best girl friends – Estrella Gorden, Erika Fuentes, Elize Corazon – and asked them to be bridesmaids and they rushed into the shop the same day to have measurements taken for their respective dresses. Meanwhile, Greco knew that his family would require more than simple, oneword assent that he gave to PJ. Suddenly, his mind reeled with scores of questions. His family would want to learn and know everything about Maria and how they met. Of course, the first challenge would be to help them deal with the shock that their beloved son, in fact, is very much alive. His mother had a light heart attack when she learned of his death. Greco worried about her physical condition if she knew that he was alive and getting married. At the time, the CIA told Greco’s family he was dead and his body was unrecoverable but they were still searching for him.

CHAPTER 2

I T WAS A beautiful, bright sunny mid-March afternoon in Detroit but the forecasters indicated a fast-moving late spring cold front with possible sleet and snow. The FedEx man at the Mohammed home surprised the elderly woman. For more than two years she had dreaded answering the door since that dreadful day when two CIA men, dressed in black suits, informed them that her son had died. He had lost his life in South America and his body was unrecoverable. She was shocked that her son was not only working for BHP Petroleum, but that he also was a CIA agent. The protocol for information and notification was much like a witness protection program as much to provide a safe harbor for Greco’s family as it was to give him the effective cover he needed. The news sent her to the hospital for a few days. Dr. Benadina, the long-time family physician, had previously diagnosed her with heart disease, warning her to be as careful as possible. She had suffered cardiac arrest and he gave her some glycerin tables to place under her tongue to use as necessary. Her husband had also purchased a portable defibrillator for emergency use. On the second ringing of the doorbell, she went timidly to the door. She opened the door to the deliveryman. “Is this the Mohammed’s residence?” “Yes it is.” She looked lost for a moment. “Are you Mrs. Mohammed?” “Yes I am. How may I help you?” He handed her a single package – a FedEx overnight letter. “Please sign here.”

She took the package, signed her name, thanked him and closed the door. Walking back to the kitchen table, she scanned her memory furiously for any name of anybody in Rio de Janeiro who would be sending her a package. Her mind darted rapidly back and forth, settling on the notion that perhaps someone had crucial information about the whereabouts of her son’s remains. She prayed using one hand to work her prayer beads as she carried the FedEx package to the kitchen. Allah, please, I beg grant me some closure on the loss of my son. She sat down at the kitchen table, illuminated by bright sunshine streaking through the window. She gave up her composure and tore at the package, glanced at the contents, and rose from her chair. She reached for the windowsill above the sink and grabbed a bottle, struggled to open it with trembling hands, and finally placed a glycerin tablet under her tongue. Had this been a terribly cruel joke? She barely recovered herself when she reached for the phone and called her husband. “Papa, close the shop now and come home as quickly as possible and bring Rafael and Al Sheik with you. Please hurry. I need you now. Please!” “Mama, Mama, what’s wrong? Talk to me!” “I can’t talk now! Come home quickly.” He heard the receiver drop with a thud on the floor and then the line went dead. The urgency of her tone, the near frantic call for help made him think of the worst possible case. He had never heard such fear in his wife’s voice. He always has been the calm one in the family, the optimist who nevertheless knew that his wife would never exaggerate physical pain or trouble. Maybe she was suffering another heart attack. The doctor had warned them, after she barely survived the shock of getting the news about her son’s mysterious death, that she might not be able to sustain another deep, emotional bolt of news affecting her family. Fortunately, there was just one customer left in the bakery and he was just about

finished. Mr. Mohammed followed him silently, opened the door, and immediately flipped the sign to “Closed. Please come again.” He pulled the shade down, locked the door, went into the back and told his sons Rafael and Al Sheik that something apparently bad had happened. Maybe it was Rebecca, their sister. She was working in Ann Arbor as a student teacher in one of the biology labs at the University of Michigan while she was finishing up her studies for a doctorate in molecular biology. The two sons removed their aprons, washed the flour residue from their hands, put on their jackets, rechecked the locks of the front door and, with their father, walked out the back door. Silently but with quickstep efficiency, they finished the routine by securing the three dead bolts on the back door, got into the 2005 Ford Explorer. They lived close to each other, no more than a few blocks apart and they always rode to and from work together. The trip was about ten minutes without traffic or closer to thirty in heavy traffic. Fearing the worst, they rushed into the house, shouting her name. “I’m here in the kitchen.” The three men appeared to be overcome with relief. Her husband spoke. “What’s wrong? Mama, what’s wrong?” One of the sons noticed the prayer beads on the floor. They knew something extraordinary had happened. Since that terrible day in 2005, she always had her prayer beads in hand. Now, she was crying and kneading her hands as she always did when she was nervous and upset. She tilted her head toward the letter lying on the kitchen table in front of her. Her husband, his hands trembling as badly as hers, picked up the letter and read it. His face flushed red and then tears choked his voice as he turned to his sons. “Your brother is alive!” His wife stopped crying and looked up at her husband. “Greco is alive?! Are you sure? Are you sure that this isn’t a cruel joke?” Rafael took the FedEx package, looked in the pouch, reached inside, and removed twelve plane tickets. His eyes grew wide. “Look! Here are twelve round-trip tickets on American Airlines to Rio de

Janeiro.” His brother, Al-Sheik, grabbed the tickets and counted them out loudly. “This is incredible. Twelve tickets?! The children are in school. How can we take them out of school and take them to Brazil?” He looked at his father. “What shall we do?” The tears had been replaced with the urgent, planning tones of a professional travel agent. Rafael clicked his fingers. “I know. We will call Fayeeda, the woman who worked at the nursery school.” The mother chimed in. “Which woman? They have several women working there.” “You know, the widowed lady that lived with her parents over on Cain Street.” “Who?” “You the elderly couple killed a few months ago in the car and train crash. They were the ones who ignored the train crossing signs at Luther and Seville Streets. “Oh, now I know who you mean. Why is she not working?” “After a group of teenagers set fire to the nursery school, she has been unable to find work. Besides, she can drive the older kids to school, pick them up, look after the little ones and prepare their meals.” Rafael smiled broadly. “Good idea. She can stay at our house and look after things until we return. We need to call her and, yes, Rebecca, she will be so excited.” Al-Sheik pulled his cell phone out of his right pocket.

“I’ll call Fayeeda now and then Rebecca. It’s four o-clock now.” Fayeeda picked up the phone on the first ring. Al-Sheik told her the adults would be traveling to South America and they would be gone for a few days at least – possibly as many as five. She was very pleased to help out and assured Al Sheik that she would take good care of the children. Al Sheik thanked her and hung up. The call had lasted barely three minutes. He turned to Rafael and his parents. “Fayeeda said there’d be no problem and she will be happy to care for the children. I’ll call Rebecca. I bet she is still at school. What I am saying? She’s always there.” When the operator at the University of Michigan directory assistance center at the research park answered she said, “University of Michigan, how may I direct your call?” “This is Al Sheik Mohammed. May I speak with Rebecca Mohammed in the research center?” “Is this an emergency?” “Yes this is her brother and it is somewhat of an emergency.” Al-Sheik had to muffle his giggles. “Please hold. I’ll put you through to the lab.” The phone rang four times. A man who sounded like a very young student answered. “Lab, yes?” “Yes, this is Al-Sheik Mohammed. May I speak to Rebecca Mohammed? It is an emergency.” “I’m sorry. She just stepped out but she should be back momentarily. Can I take a message or would you like to hold?”

Al-Sheik sounded impatient. “I will hold.” He tapped his fingers incessantly on the kitchen countertop. After about fortyfive seconds – what really had seemed like an eternity – he heard a click and his sister’s familiar, optimistic voice came on. “Hello, this is Rebecca Mohammed.” “Becca, this is Al Sheik.” “Hi! What’s up?” “Becca, I have incredible news.” He clearly was relishing the theatrics of the moment. “Greco is alive.” Becca fumbled with the phone, almost dropping it. “I can’t believe. Al, are you sure? Please tell me.” “No, Becca, I’m telling you the truth, so help me Allah. Greco is alive and he has sent us plane tickets to Rio de Janeiro. Not only that. He is getting married.” Becca almost laughed out loud. “You’re kidding me” “No, Sis, I am serious. How soon can you come home?” “I’ll be there later this afternoon. I just have one more test that I am running. It will – or should – be finished in about twenty or thirty minutes and then I can leave.” “Okay. We will be waiting here for you.” Al Sheik-called his wife while Rafael called his. They both said they were over at their parents’ house and would be a little late getting home. All three families

lived within a few blocks of each other. Becca finished her lab test in thirty minutes and she immediately left campus, walking toward he car. The sunny, mild weather had given way to the typical Michigan early spring expectation. The cold front had moved in and the freezing rain mixed with the snow and it would make driving hazardous, especially in her little MX6 hardtop. Her hands were still shaking from the shock of her brother’s call. After she started the car, she reached over in the glove box, removed her ice scraper, got out of the car and began to clear the rear window and, then, the front windshield. Despite the dreary, windswept cold rain, she felt exhilarated at the double-strength joy of the news that Greco was not only alive but he was going to be married again. Rebecca dearly loved her late sister-in-law and believed that any woman Greco would fall in love again would be just as special. She had received permission to take a few extra comp days, thus she would have a five-day leave. She normally stayed on campus and would go home only on weekends but this trip home was going to be extraordinarily momentous. She left the campus research center parking lot around five-thirty p.m. The freezing rain and sleet mixed with the snow flurries was definitely going to aggravate the usual rush-hour chaos. If she was lucky, she would be there at seven-thirty. Traffic was blocked in both directions as an eighteen-wheeler had jackknifed on US-23. The tractor cab had broken loose from the trailer, flipped over on one side, slid across the median and had blocked the eastbound traffic. The truck also had collided with two SUVs and only one lane of traffic was getting though. The trailer and other debris were blocking the traffic also in the eastbound lanes. The state highway patrol was letting traffic go in one direction at a time with officers flagging the stopped traffic going in the other direction. When she finally approached the accident scene she noticed a sizable corps of fire trucks, ambulances, numerous police cars and the county corner’s vehicle with its blue lights flashing. The police were doing their best to keep the traffic flowing in both directions. There were several bodies covered with sheets. Rebecca counted three. Then she saw a smashed SUV. It appeared that the tractor-trailer had jackknifed on the slick roads and the SUV had run into the trailer as it skidded on its side. The SUV looked like an accordion that had failed to open. The wreck did remind Rebecca to be more cautious on the slick roads. She finally got on to I-94 eastbound. The state maintenance crew had sanded the interstate and the traffic

between Arbor and Detroit traffic was flowing more smoothly, a bit of a surprise considering the unexpectedly nasty weather. She arrived home about seven-thirty p.m., only about thirty-five or forty minutes later than expected. Unlike visits home of the last couple of years, she could barely move fast enough. She quickly locked her car and, hurrying into the house, she paused, only long enough to remove her snow boots and her jacket and hang them carelessly in the hall closet. Rebecca smiled at the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. It was a song that had been all too rare. Suddenly, it was like the days when she would be coming home from grade school. The memories of gingerbread cookies, cakes, and pies flooded back instantaneously. Unlike her mother, whose culinary expertise had always been the talk of the neighborhood, Rebecca thought little about cooking. She guessed it was the mess generated by flour and countless ingredients and she never enjoyed cleaning up and washing dishes, a chore she always tried to avoid during her teenaged years. Now that her father and two brothers operated a bakery, she always was happy to be a willing taste tester and little more. “Hi, everybody. I’m home.” Rebecca was still walking through the hall to the kitchen. “What is this about Greco being alive and he is getting married as well? Who is it? Who is it?” Both brothers hugged and kissed her on the cheek. Then she knelt down beside her mother seated at the kitchen table. Both women burst into tears. “Oh, Mama, I’m so happy for you. I know how you’ve grieved over the loss of Greco and how much you had wanted him to marry again. It’s unbelievable. It’s a miracle. You never lost hope or faith. Mama, we are all so proud of you.” Rebecca was hardly as religious as her mother or of any other member in the family. In Ann Arbor, she experimented with all types of spiritualism, shopping around, never finding the right practice to suit her own restless needs. Rebecca ed how her mother cried every day for the last two years. Holidays and weekends were difficult times and Rebecca often made easy

excuses to avoid being at home as much as possible. Yet, she secretly ired her mother’s seemingly unshakable faith even while she held back chastising her mother for thinking the implausible that Greco was, in fact, still alive. There was a bittersweet tone to the triumphant news. “Oh, Papa, I’m sorry. I saw Mama and forgot about everyone else for a moment. She laughed heartily. “But you are my favorite dad.” He gave a mocked look of condescension and laughed. “Well, you are my favorite daughter.” Both hugged each other long and she noticed that her father was struggling to hold back tears. “I’m your only daughter and you are my only dad.” For the next couple of weeks, everyone in the Mohammed household was busy, packing and planning and getting ready to go to Rio de Janeiro. The university granted Rebecca’s request and gave her a thirty-day leave. The calendar in the kitchen took on renewed importance. Each day, Rebecca ceremoniously marked off the days, symbolic of everyone’s anticipation for the departure date. Finally, travel day had arrived. Al-Sheik and Rafael, along with their wives, had secured their normal babysitter to stay with the children until they returned. They rented two taxicabs to take them to the airport. They confirmed their seats, checked and received clearance to carry their mother’s defibrillator on board, and their bags went through security clearance. Soon they all boarded the plane to Miami and connected with a 763 in Miami, more than anxious to go. Greco had decided that both brothers would officiate as best men and all the Mohammed men would be sporting tuxedos designed by John Galante and highlighting a six-button notch tailcoat white with satin covered buttons and lapels with shoes – jazz oxfords by After Six. Completing the ensemble were winged-tipped collar tuxedo shirts with matching pleated adjustable waist tros. Everything had moved with dizzying efficiency. Greco’s skills as a master planner were unsured by any relative. The family chattered loudly in the cabin, speculating about every imaginable detail surrounding their new in-

law. There was the occasional comparison to Jo, his first wife, but the discussion switched back quickly to Greco and how he would appear, along with his new bride. They would have the wedding in the sanctuary of the church, in a small chapel nestled in the courtyard with hand-carved double doors. Above the door archway, a lead-stained window depicting the wedding at Canaan in the Bible allowed light from the outside to shine directly on the couple being ed in matrimony. Each side of the chapel was adorned with three leaded windows depicting several religious scenes from the New Testament. The reception would follow in the church courtyard. The large pavilion in the courtyard had seen many church activities but never a wedding reception. A large banner proclaimed “Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Greco Mohammed!” waved in air above the wedding cake. It would be the ideal site for the dancing featuring music by a string quartet and the festivals following the wedding. The group knew many of the couple’s favorite songs – “At Last,” “From This Moment,” and “I Can’t Help Falling in Love.” A place was setup for the musicians and speakers were mounted on trees. They even brought in a TV crew for a closed circuit broadcast that would record the complete festival. The reception area was surrounded by tall palm trees along with the jutoba or Brazilian cherry trees that dotted the courtyard. Beautiful IPE Branco trees lined the pavilion and the white flowers – Tillandsia Cyanea – infused the air with a spicy clove fragrance. In the meantime, Greco had received a list of recommended men to take with him for the mission into North Korea: photographers, scientists, and communication specialists, all experts in their own right. Everybody was fluent in Korean, even Greco who had a gift for nailing the naturally sounding dialect, the ideal cover should anyone ever be separated or if they needed to retreat to South Korea either as a group or individually. Greco would choose three men from the list of twelve, a “deep bench” thoroughly trained in all aspects of espionage, weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. The project code name would be “ICON,” with all information funneled directly to the Pentagon and to the CIA concurrently. The days preparing for the wedding flew by almost too quickly to savor them properly. The dressmaker fitted Maria and her three bridesmaids in their gowns. One of the bridesmaids’ sons would be the ring bearer, entrusted with an

exceptionally crafted jewelry piece from H. Stern’s world headquarters on Rua Garcia D’Avila in Ipanema. This was no ordinary ring purchasing experience. Customers would go to the third floor where receptionists would greet them and give them headphones for an audiotape player broadcasting an orientation about the jeweler in their native language. The audio was a self-guided tour explaining the entire operation from mining, gem-cutting, gem identification, valuation, and silversmithing to jewelry marketing. The specialists work behind bulletproof glass partitions but customers still are close enough to watch their every movement – whether it’s diamond sawing of rough gem material or performing and faceting with a jamb-peg on a diamond lap. The wooden pegboard has about twenty-four rows of six or seven notches each to position the dop. The jewelers regularly amaze customers with their instincts carefully cultivated by many years of experience in which no mechanical faceting heads are ever used. The beautiful oval and marquise hand-cuts are works of art in their own right. After the tour, Maria chose a beautiful marquise-cut diamond weighing two carats. For each side of the diamond, she chose half-carat topaz stones, the blue matching her eyes. The jewels were to be set in white twenty-one-carat gold. Greco enjoyed watching Maria’s child-like excitement at the whole process. The rings would be ready the next day. Her excitement, however, was the gift that already had manifested itself before her eyes, a handsome, brilliant man who just also happened to be an excellent dancer. That night, Maria could not sleep restfully. Her dreams of her wedding punctuated her nighttime state. She heard bells and visualized walking down the aisle on her father’s arms. The next morning after breakfast, Greco and Maria returned to Stern’s and picked up their wedding rings. The rings fit perfectly. Of course, they offered Greco some Brazilian coffee, which he politely declines. It was just too strong and too sweet for him. I will never make a good Brazilian because I just do not like their coffee. Greco and Maria called the Copacabana Palace to make arrangements for his family who’d be staying four days. Greco was surprised and even a bit irked that no one at the hotel ed him but then he reminded himself that the desk clerks and the courtesy bus drivers were obviously different from when he stayed there two years before. Greco had purchased a 2005 BMW 330Ci convertible for Maria as a wedding present. They were driving it to the airport. Maria would have to learn to drive

more defensively, especially if she was coming to the United States. They waited outside the ground transportation exit for his family. They saw the huge jumbo jet as it landed two hours earlier. Greco knew that going through customs would be an arduous process. Greco’s heart beat more rapidly as the moment of meeting his family drew close. And, after waiting forty minutes, the ground transportation exit doors burst opened and his parents, his two brothers and their wives followed by his sister Rebecca appeared, each carrying a piece of luggage. Greco began waving his arms and shouting. “Mom, Dad. Over here!” Maria ed in. “Mr. and Mrs. Mohammed. Over here by the cars.” The reunion was what Greco had anticipated. Tears, hugs, more tears, more hugs. Quick shot appraisals of Maria. However, Greco looked around, thinking more people should be here. He sounded noticeably disappointed. “Where are my nieces and nephews?” Rafael and Al Sheik replied almost in unison. “We left them home with a babysitter. The older ones are in school and the youngest ones would make it cumbersome for the wedding.” “Why? I haven’t seen them for ages and I know they have grown so much.” Rafael spoke authoritatively. “Rosa, the baby, is now walking some and she is a little cranky. She is cutting some teeth and, really, we couldn’t take the kids out of school but you will see them soon.” Al-Sheik handed over five unused plane tickets to Greco. “Oh, before I forget. Here are the tickets we didn’t use.”

Maria was so happy she was crying. Rafael and Al-Sheik were laughing and teasing their brother. Rebecca grabbed Maria’s right arm. “Welcome to our family. Isn’t Greco a mess? He’s my big brother and I just love him to pieces.” “Yes, but now he’s becoming my mess as well and I, too, love him to pieces.” “Greco is such a romantic. When I was small, I can him coming home and bringing me some candy and he was always sending Mama flowers and cards, especially if he could not be home on those special days. He always sent orchids. They are mother’s favorite flower.” Maria blushed a bit. “Yes, Greco is a romantic.” Greco introduced Maria to his mother, who was wearing her burka. She put her pudgy arms around her new daughter in-law. “I know you are a great woman. For years, my son wasn’t interested in anyone. Even girls I tried to introduce him to, he ignored. I am so happy for Greco and for you. Welcome to our family. You will always be loved.” Greco’s mom looked at him, tears washing her face, prominently strained and wrinkled from a long period of grieving. “Oh, Greco, I could never believe you were dead as the men from the government agency told me. I just could not accept the things they told me. I prayed and prayed and I am so relieved.” Greco explained the barest essential information of his disappearance and protection. Even with his family, he knew that it was best to keep everything at a high general level of detail. “Please keep the secret within the family. I’m sure there are still some who would welcome the opportunity to make my murder a reality.” He had already reserved one large van for his family and their luggage. It actually took the van and the large courtesy van from the hotel plus their car for

the entourage to drive to the Copacabana Palace. Greco asked the reservations manager to give them rooms where they could view Sugar Loaf Mountain as well as the bay area. When the family was finally settled in their hotel rooms, Greco and Maria went home, four hours after his family had arrived. They would be coming back that night for a family reunion and private dinner at the Cipriani Restaurant where Maria and Greco had first dined together. The live band was playing samba and rock and a special area near the dance floor was marked as reserved for the Mohammed Family. Marie danced with his brothers and his father. Greco danced with his mother, his sister and Maria. Everything in the Cipriani restaurant was elegant and the family enjoyed the wine and the superb Italian cuisine. It was two-thirty a.m. before the family finally quit partying. Greco graciously and generously tipped the band (far more than his customary twenty-five percent) and thanked them for staying so long. Greco and Maria went home, and the rest of the Mohammed family exhausted but happy and excited went upstairs to their rooms. The next day the family enjoyed the day at the Copacabana beach. They were able to have some of the cooking staff from the hotel come to the beach and serve them lunch. They stayed out in the sun too long and some of them were sunburned. Tempted by the rare moments to enjoy a sliver of summer away from the raw wintry days in Michigan, Rafael suffered a sunburn on his shoulders and nose, Rebecca got a light sunburn on her nose and forehead, and Al-Sheik had a first-degree sunburn on his legs and arms. By evening, they were all very tired and they went back to their rooms. On the third day they completed all the miscellaneous items in final preparations for the wedding. The tuxedos Greco ordered fit with only minor changes to the hem of the tros. Meanwhile, the women went to the stylists. The family also enjoyed the jewelry shops, finding amethyst earrings for Rebecca. Greco purchased a gem-encrusted jewelry box for his mother, a lavish display of rubies and sapphires with gold plated two-toned metals. Rafael’s wife, Sari, purchased a simple, elegant bracelet of semi-precious stones. Al sheik’s wife, Annan, purchased a natural pearl necklace. On the fourth day, at nine forty-five a.m., the church bells pealed at the start of the wedding. The sanctuary of the church was marked for seating of family and invited guests, one hundred twenty-five in total. The groom’s family, of course, was seated to the right of the Father’s hand and the bride’s family to the left of

the Father’s hand. The archbishop stood in front of the altar and, at the start of the Handel prelude music, the groom and his two brothers entered the sanctuary from a side room on the archbishop’s right. Once the men were in position, the archbishop motioned slightly for the congregation to stand and the organist began the Wagner Prelude from Lohengrin, the famous Wedding March. The family and guests stood to face the aisle – a sea of broad smiles – and then through the large Gothic doors came the flower girl, one of Maria’s nieces who was just barely six years old, strewing flowers along the path to the chancel. The ring bearer followed her. Greco was captivated by the sight of Maria, meditating that she indeed was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. She even seemed more beautiful than Jo, his first wife. Maria’s elderly father, in his seventies but with a confident step, escorted her on his arm to the chancel in front of the altar. Two small boys followed, holding up the train of her wedding gown, which seemed like a large, graceful wing. The bridesmaids held up the front flank of the procession smiling as radiantly as Maria. Once Maria and her father reached the front, the march stopped, the last chord still reverberating a bit in the sanctuary. “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” Maria’s father spoke clearly. She was his only daughter. “Her mother and I.” Maria kneels with Greco at the altar. “Dearly beloved, marriage is a civil as well as a religious institution. We are gathered together here, in the sight of God and in the face of this company, to this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. Marriage is honorably and not to be entered into lightly, but reverently, discreetly, soberly and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate, these two persons present, come now to be ed. If any person can show just cause why they may not be lawfully ed together, let he or she now speak or else hereafter hold the peace.” After a silence of about ten second, the archbishop looked down at the couple. The archbishop turned to Greco who repeated the words as they were spoken.

“In the name of God, I, Greco, take you, Maria, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow. The archbishop turned to Maria who repeated the words as they were spoken. In the name of God, I, Maria, take you, Greco, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.” The Archbishop looked again at Greco. “What token do you bring that you will faithful perform these promises?” Greco’s best man took both rings from the little ring bearer and hands one of the rings to the archbishop who then blesses it. He hands the ring to Greco as he prepares to place it on Maria’s finger. “I, Greco Mohammed, take thee, Maria Altos, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance.” The Archbishop now turns to Maria and repeats the questions heard a moment earlier. He blesses the ring, hands it to Maria who prepares to place it on Greco’s finger. She repeats the vow taken a moment ago by her new husband. “You may now kiss the bride.” Greco gingerly lifts Maria’s veil and kisses her gently but ionately. Maria is crying, desperately trying to keep her composure. He holds her right hand as they rise and they take a candle to where the Unity Candle is placed. A nun is singing Ave Maria with an unforgettable reverence. The light from the candle symbolizes Christ as the light of the world. The archbishop then serves them both, communion. The flashing, of many cameras were silent reminders that pictures memories were being made. It was a happy occasion for family and friends. The archbishop presented Mr. and Mrs.

Greco Mohammed to the congregation which erupted in applause and stomping feet. The noise had barely settled when he announced a reception held in the courtyard. In the courtyard pavilion, Greco and Maria cut the exquisite cake baked by the executive pastry chef at the Copacabana Palace. It was a four-tier cake and on top were two figurines of the couple in traditional wedding apparel. The arch above the figurines was accented with three white-candied wedding bells decorated with pink-candied orchids. Each tier of the cake was decorated with candied-colored orchids and faux pearls. Maria gently fed a bite of the confection to Greco who returned the gesture. Contrary to that brash custom of smashing cake into each other’s face, the newlyweds evidently maintained their gracious, dignified states. They personally served the wine and wedding cake to guests and family , a rare but appealing gesture. It was late in the afternoon when the wedding reception was completed and the entire wedding guests left. Greco and Maria went home as husband and wife and the exhilarated but exhausted Mohammed family returned to the hotel. The next morning was not easy emotionally, especially for Greco’s mother. After the long period of grieving, she was hardly satisfied that she had only four full days with Greco and Maria with whom they all fell in love with so quickly and unconditionally. They went to the airport to see Greco’s family fly home to Detroit. All the way to the airport Greco’s mom and dad kept insisting they must come to Detroit and spend several days. His mom’s insistence on seeing grandchildren was relentless. They all laughed. His father asked, “Son, what are you going to do now? Go back to BHP Petroleum?” “Dad, I’m not exactly sure. I know that Maria wants to move to the U.S. and I’m thinking about retiring and, maybe because of my tenure with the government, I may take a position in Washington.” “You know you are always welcome to come and live in Detroit. I can always use another set of hands in the bakery. Right now, we have about all the work the three of us can handle and then I’m also thinking about opening up another shop.” “Dad, I really appreciate the offer. Maria and I have a lot of paperwork and

documents to fill out but I’m sure by October or November we will be in the United States and I promise that we will be seeing you before the end of the year.” Tears welled up in both their eyes when they waved goodbye as his parents, brothers, their wives and his sister boarded the huge jet. They watched quietly the jumbo jet as it pushed away from the gate. They only left the airport when the plane began to move toward the runway. Greco and Maria were exhausted after the whirlwind speed of the last three weeks. The next week, they just simply enjoyed each other’s company. They did take time to write thank you notes to all their guests. They enjoyed their wedding photo album, ensuring that copies were dispatched quickly to Detroit for his parents to enjoy. And, as newlywed couples start to do, they thoroughly explored their individual likes and dislikes. Yet, most of all, they spent most of the time watching the video of their wedding over and over again, evidence that this was no dream.

CHAPTER 3

G RECO EXAMINED THE backgrounds of the twelve men. They were all qualified; they were young and strong, they were men of war. Each was deeply qualified in the use of firearms, grenades, explosives, C3, C4, IEDs, and other weapons of warfare. They were extremely skilled in espionage work, computer coding, linguistics, cultural customs, and photography. However, espionage and photography were the most important criteria in selecting the three candidates. He chose Sgt. Eric Mack, Sgt. Billy John and Sgt. Leyton Wesley. Though they were young, all three were essentially veterans in their portfolios, currently stationed in the Eighth Army Division at the Yongsan base in South Korea. They were single so if any were lost in the mission, there would be no children to suffer the lost of a father. Greco wanted to discuss his selections with Cushing, P.G. Schoonmacher, Army and t chief of staff; B.L. Brownly, acting Secretary of the Army and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. He e-mailed a short message to Cushing: I have made my selections and I would like to meet with you, the Army t chief of Staff, and the Cabinet for Defense and Army. Rumsfeld’s office scheduled a meeting for June 15. Greco and Maria left their apartment in care of the cleaning staff member until they returned which might be several months. They arranged with United Airlines for a flight May 15. The flight departed GIG (Rio de Janeiro) and would arrive in IAD (Washington Dulles) early the next morning. Maria did not want to change planes so that is why Greco chose United Airlines Flight 85, the only flight departing with one stop but without any plane changes. He booked them into first class – one way – not knowing when they would return. They would need time to find a furnished apartment in Georgetown with sufficient security cover. To have Maria’s paperwork with the INS cleared would be simple. They would go before the judge and have a private swearing-in ceremony. P.J. had asked the President to grant immediate citizenship to Maria Altos Mohammed. The president agreed and expedited the red tape, just as has

been done for a select group that often includes diplomats, athletes, and other notables, to assure that citizenship would be granted without delay. Maria was excited as she packed for an indefinite stay in Washington D.C. Yes, it would be almost two weeks before they would leave. She wanted to be sure that she had everything they would need. They celebrated their first month anniversary April 11 with dinner at the Cipriani Restaurant in the Copacabana Palace Hotel where they had their first date. She loved Greco so much, thrilled that he had asked her to marry him without much prodding on her part. Both ordered Risotto di Zucca Profumato al Rosmarino, the chef’s signature dish. Greco was happy, too, and, as they ate dinner, he hired a string quartet to play some music tableside. He then presented Maria with a dozen beautiful long stemmed red roses. That night ed so quickly; Maria could never a time when she was happier. Maria called the hospital where she had worked so many years and told them she was reg effective immediately. They were sad to lose her but happy she was married and going with Greco to the States. They drove the new BMW convertible to the airport where they made arrangements to ship the car to the United States. The shipping cost was nearly two thousand nine hundred dollars, a cost Greco felt reasonable to ensure the BMW arrived in prime condition. They gave emergency phone numbers and names to the caretaker. They arrived at the airport, picked up their first-class tickets, and checked their luggage through to Washington Dulles Airport. They also secured a receipt for the shipment of one automobile by freight, which would take at least one week to arrive. Greco checked their seat numbers – 2A and 2B – one row behind the bulkhead seats on the left side of the plane so they would be able to see Sugar Loaf as they departed. Greco and Maria laughed as they both removed their shoes and placed them on the security belt. Greco sat on the floor to put on his shoes and then helped Maria fasten the ankle straps on her shoes – a pair of peep-toe pumps, creamcolored with basket weave sides, and with beautiful bow detailing. Almost like giddy college students on vacation, they walked hand in hand to the departure gate where they would be boarding the Boeing 767 in ninety minutes. Energized equally by the adrenaline of their separate expectations and the ion of their deep love, Greco and Maria stayed quiet for a few moments. Greco was happy that he no longer would need to be a double agent. Greco Fassoud was dead; no

one looking for him. He was Greco Mohammed. As he sat in the waiting room chair, he did not hear the gate agent announce their flight was ready for boarding. Maria excitedly shook his arm. “Greco, come on. It’s time for us to board the plane.” They took their seats after placing their carry-on bags in the overhead bin. The flight attendant had taken Greco’s jacket, attached a seat ID tag, and hung it up for him. The flight attendant asks if they would like something to drink before take off. They both ordered a glass of champagne. It was Veuve Clicquot. They had just finished their champagne flutes when the attendant advised the plane was ready for departure. After the flight attendant went through the usual routine, the flight captain announced they were fourth in line and would be ready for departure in about ten minutes. Maria was too excited to sit still. As a newly minted American citizen, she would live in the capital of the most powerful nation on the planet. As the jumbo jet rumbled down the runway picking up speed for the takeoff, Maria thought about the type or size of an apartment, sign of a realized dream of living in America. As the flight lifted into the air, Greco looked to the window. “Look, Maria. Sugar Loaf. Isn’t that a beautiful site and there is the Christ the Redeemer Statue.” Shortly, the flight attendants entered the various cabins to announce the location of the exit doors. They explained how to use the oxygen masks if necessary and the seat cushions for flotation devices if needed, which would be highly unlikely. The flight attendant in the first class cabin came back with glasses of champagne for them and asked their preference for the evening meal. The main entrée would be grilled lobster tail and steak, or fish. They both chose the surf and turf. As they sipped their drinks, they discuss the type of apartment they both desired. What area of Georgetown they wanted to live in. “Maria, what type of apartment do we want? Do you want a ground floor or upper level?” “I was thinking maybe a studio type but with two bedrooms.”

“Why would we want two bedrooms?” “Well, if we ever have guests.” “I was thinking maybe we should just stay in a hotel until I get back from this overseas trip. I shouldn’t be gone for more than sixty to ninety days and probably closer to forty-five days.” “Possibly but what if we have a baby? Wouldn’t we want an extra bedroom for the baby?” “Sure, I never thought of that.” “Maybe a condo would be nice.” “Okay, sweetheart, while I am on this mission you look in the papers, talk with some of these apartment locators. When I get back then we can decide.” Soon the flight attendant asked them to pull out their tray tables as she handed each of them a hot hand towel. The flight attendant placed clean white cotton tablecloths on the tray tables and then proceeded to set their tray with regular china, quite elegant for a flight. Certainly, this was at least nicer than the flight Maria had taken to Bethesda, Maryland two years ago when Greco was injured. Then, she was flying in the main cabin, certainly not in first class. The food’s remarkably appetizing appearance intrigued Maria. “I’ve heard so much about the bad food and service on airlines but this is excellent.” Greco nodded as he chewed a cube of his New York strip steak. “But everyone doesn’t fly first class. Most of them fly in what I call the ‘cattle car.’” They both enjoyed a second glass of red wine that made them both sleepy. Soon they turned out their overhead lamps, leaned their seats back, which turned into compact beds and went to sleep. Maria dreamt about babies while her husband was dreaming the tactics of his new assignment. They slept until the attendant awakened them to return their seats to upright positions in preparations for the landing in Miami. The flight took the normal six hours. Marie looked out the window and caught the first glimpses of America as Mrs. Greco Mohammed.

The flight had one hundred seventy-eight engers in economy and fourteen in first class. They saw seven leave first class, and a few from coach. Greco said, “Since we have a layover here in Miami let’s take our boarding es and get off and stretch our legs.” “Good idea, I’ve never been in Miami.” Greco gently squeezed Maria’s right hand. “Oh, Greco I’ve been thinking about our apartment. Since it’s going to be temporary I think you are right. We should live close to the government area.” “We can live any place you like and I think it’s a good idea to live close by. When your car arrives in about firty-five days and I get back, if you like, we can look a little farther out in the suburbs.” They browsed a small gift shop. “Look at these cute little salt and pepper shakers made in the form of an airplane, may I get them?” “Absolutely, Maria. These will be the first things you can point to as the first items you bought in the USA as Mrs. Greco Mohammed.” “Nice, sweetie. I like them.” Greco and Maria returned to the plane for the final leg of the trip to Washington D.C. They were both ready for the egg omelets, breakfast sausages and hot coffee. It was not Brazilian made coffee but Americanized coffee. After breakfast, they talked again about the type of apartment they wanted in Washington D.C. As just under two hours ed, the flight attendant announced they would be landing shortly at Washington Dulles International Airport. He asked the engers to stow their tray tables, make sure their seats were in the upright position and their seatbelts securely fastened. It was the usual routine for air travelers. Soon the big jumbo jet set down on the runway and the engines roared as the

captain put them into reverse to slow the plane. Greco knew the jet significantly outweighed the 747-400 series with its maximum payload coming in at about eight hundred thousand pounds. The 767 was a remarkably smooth ride. After the usual end-of-flight ritual, Greco and Maria heard the most important detail. Luggage would be at United Airlines baggage carousel 4B. As Greco and Maria walked up the jet bridge, again they discuss their apartment needs. Since Greco would be gone for a long time – forty-five days total, with about thirty for the mission and the rest for traveling and debriefs – he wanted her in a safe place, if there was such a place. He used his cell phone, called apartment locaters, and made an appointment for the next day. A rental agent recommended to them The Melrose located at 2430 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington D.C. 20037. The telephone number was 202-955-6400 and the fax number there was 202-955-5765. It was the place to stay until they could locate a satisfactory apartment. The rental agent peppered Greco with several questions not pausing for any responses. “Do you want to buy a home or rent an apartment? Would the apartment be furnished or unfurnished? Did you desire an apartment with all the bills paid? Greco had listened intently. “We want the best security area possible and a furnished apartment.” The agent paused for a moment to see if Greco added anything else. Greco said nothing. The agent spoke after a few seconds. “How about 10:30 tomorrow morning?” Greco smiled at Maria. “That will be fine.” They picked up their luggage, verified the claim tickets, as many of the pieces of luggage looked just like theirs. Maria looked nervous. “What are the security guards doing with the dogs?”

“They train the dogs to smell drugs and explosives. Those dogs are among the most essential parts of airport security. Someone easily could carry those items in their luggage.” Greco picked up a hotel guest phone and called the “Melrose” directly. The hotel advised him the Melrose shuttle bus should be at the airport. As soon as they stepped outside the ground transportation level doors, the doors to the Melrose shuttle were open. They walked on board and placed their bags in the luggage racks. Four other people had already boarded the bus. Soon the driver, who apparently been checking the tires, came inside the bus, closed the doors, welcomed them to the Melrose declaring it was the only place in Washington D.C. to stay when in town. It was about forty-five minutes before they arrived at the hotel; traffic was heavy. “There is so much history, Maria, that I want you to see. I want you to see the Smithsonian Museum, a tour of the White House, The Ford Theatre where a great President, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth and many more places.” The bellman came out, placed the individual’s luggage on the cart, and wheeled it inside to the check-in counter. Greco asked and received a non-smoking threebedroom suite on the seventh floor, Room 722. As the bellman hung their garment bags and placed their luggage in the closet, Greco and Maria looked at the Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue below. Greco tipped the bellman with a ten-dollar bill. He turned to Maria, hugged her deeply. “Oh, Greco, I am so happy. This is a lovely room and to be here with the most wonderful man in the world… Well, I can’t even find the right words. It’s just all so…” Greco’s instincts always seemed spot on. He kissed Maria deeply, more so than he had with any other woman before. After a long night’s travel, both were exhausted. They undressed, showered and went to sleep quickly in the king-sizes Texas bed. They awoke in the early afternoon. They dressed and because it was such a lovely day, they went up to the rooftop terrace for a late lunch and some chardonnay wine, which Greco really enjoyed. The hot, humid days had yet to settle in. The temperature was in

the mid seventies, perfect for lightweight clothes and a simple sweater. Greco directed Maria toward D.C.’s signature landmarks: the Pentagon, White House, U.S. Capitol, Ford’s Theatre, Lincoln Memorial, The Korean Monument, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Maria’s awe was rightly deserved. Rare was any location where so much history was represented in a compact area, every one of these landmarks within a three-mile radius. Greco sounded fatherly in his tone. “Make sure you always take a cab wherever you want to go. I know how much you like walking when the weather’s like this but please promise me you’ll always be alert. what happened in Rio?” Maria touched Greco’s cheek softly. “And, just because this is the United States, don’t think we don’t have our fair share of street criminals. The muggers and pickpockets are just as ruthless as they are back home. And, please, don’t fall for the lines by homeless people begging for money.” Maria listened intently. Words really weren’t needed. The moment was perfect as it was. As they sat on the terrace, the sun was setting against a clear sky. It was still early enough in the spring that the humid haze had yet to appear. The sky’s color palette was tinged with pale pink evidence of the radiation cooling typical in April. They talked of many things. “Maria, I’ve been thinking since I’m going to be gone for a couple of months and you are not familiar with the city that we should rent a place here in the hotel.” “That’s okay with me.” “It eases my fears. The reason I think so is because it provides better security than trying to locate an apartment for you to stay while I’m gone. When get back we will look for something in the Georgetown area or perhaps around the Ft. Meade area in Maryland.”

As soon as the apartment issue would be resolved Greco would be meeting with the government officials. To the original list, Cushing added John Coltharp, the newly designated head of Homeland Security. The mild evening scene accentuated the romantic mood on the rooftop terrace. The “rooftop band” was playing some soft jazz but it also took requests. Greco requested they play three of their favorite songs: “I can’t help falling in love with you,” Barry Manilow’s “Could it be magic?” and “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton. He tipped each member of the band with a twenty-dollar bill. Greco took Maria’s right arm. “Mrs. Mohammed, may I have a dance with you?” Maria laughed coyishly. “Why, Mr. Mohammed! I am so pleased you asked me. I would love to have this dance with you. Are you a good dancer?” “Not really. I think I have two left feet but I promise not to step on more than one foot at a time.” The good-natured mockery of the scene lightened the mood. Greco’s long list of talents included dancing, thanks to several years of lessons during middle and junior high school. Greco took her by the hand and led her to the small dance area. Maria had, somewhat extraordinarily, filled in the hole of his heart. Her delicate beauty reminded him of Jo but then Maria was remarkable in her own right. She had accomplished the unimaginable of which Greco had been certainly since the morning he came to in a Rio hospital room. Her blue eyes shined, her caramel-colored face was radiant and her perfume – Pure Silk – was bewitching. His shattered life had been pieced together, seemingly stronger than what he had experienced before. The devastation of losing Jo so early had been repaired expertly by Maria’s instincts. Later they both left and went to their room, laid out their casual clothes for the next day. Then they went to bed. They received their wake-up call promptly at eight a.m. Greco called the hotel restaurant and asked for two complete orders of Virginia honey-baked ham, short stack of pancakes, orange juice and coffee to be sent up.

Twenty minutes later, just as both finished showering together, the trays arrived. Quick to cover themselves modestly, Greco and Maria slipped on the cotton-rich white robes over their nude, still wet bodies. A tall, thin young Hispanic bellman quietly and efficiently laid out the breakfast trays at the dinette table. Greco signed for the bill, adding his customary twenty-five percent gratuity. Maria still was fascinated by Greco’s effortless system of calculating the gratuity. He never pondered the amount for more than a second or two. The hungry couple sat, anxious to celebrate their first breakfast in the United States as husband and wife. Maria looked at the food for a second and then looked Greco in his eyes. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you not sleeping well? We definitely have been going at a hectic pace. Maybe you need to get more rest?” “No, it’ s not that. I’ve… I missed my period and I may be pregnant.” Greco could hardly contain himself in his chair. He started talking in a rapid pace. “Maria, that is great. We will select a doctor for you. We will arrange for the delivery at Bethesda Hospital. Well, I mean Walter Reed as they now call the hospital. But I will probably always refer to it as Bethesda Naval Hospital.” Once they finished their breakfast, some thirty minutes later, Greco and Maria went to the spacious, flower-bedecked atrium lobby to meet the leasing agent, a pleasant-enough lady whose demeanor belied her strict, no-frills appearance with a neat ponytail, glasses, and a pouty mouth. She took them to several apartments and though they were nicely furnished and the prices were reasonable for Washington D.C., between just one thousand four hundred and one thousand eight hundred dollars a month. After two days, they had yet to find anything suitable, certainly ready for them to move from the Melrose. Greco and Maria talked with Daniel D. Schoen, general manager at the Melrose, forsaking for a six-month, renewable lease on a two-bedroom suite. The negotiations were effortless. They got a six-month lease with the option to renew another six months at the same rate. The next day they took a cab to Walter Reed to meet with an OB-GYN, who would oversee Maria regularly during the rest of her pregnancy. Dr. Rosa Reed

was a civilian doctor who wanted a career at Walter Reed so she applied and was accepted in 1994. She was in her late forties, efficient in her work and yet endowed with a good bedside disposition. She told Greco and Maria she had delivered perhaps a thousand babies in her eleven-year career at Walter Reed. Without delay, she confirmed the happy news: Maria was five weeks pregnant and she might be carrying twins. Dr. Reed waved her hands cautiously as Greco and Maria practically jumped out of their chairs. “I am not positive at the moment but we will know for sure after your next visit. which will be three weeks from today.” On the way back to the Melrose, Greco and Maria continued speculating about the possibility of the twins being fraternal or identical. Greco talked about daughters while Maria said it would be great to have a son and a daughter. Greco was excited but he tempered Maria’s premature exuberance. Greco told Maria that whatever the result would be, they would be happy that one or two babies would be as healthy as they could be. Maria already speculated on names. Caught up in the moment, Greco ed in, offering his preferences. Maria said, “If it’s a girl I like the name Madison or Elise or maybe Priscilla. What do you think?” “They are all nice names. However I like the name Elise but add Maria to the name. Make it Elise Maria.” “That’s nice! I like that, too,” Maria said, with a beaming smile. “Well, I think that it flows well off the tongue. What about some boys’ names?” “What do you think about Antonio or Dominic or maybe Xavier or Xavier Mohammed?” “Well, Xavier means bright and Dominic, I think, means, ‘belonging to God’. I like Dominic because he is God-given.” “I like all the names but I think my pick would be Dominic. Yes, I choose Dominic.” Hopefully, many of the questions – and not just a name for the baby – would be answered before Greco was in the midst of his forthcoming mission.

The next day, Greco confirmed the meeting with Cushing: Tuesday, May 15, 2007, ten-thirty a.m. at the Pentagon. P.J. would send a car for Greco that would bring him and Maria to the CIA headquarters. Maria could stay at CIA offices while he and Greco went to the meeting at the Pentagon. The meeting was highly unusual even by the extraordinary protocol standards for such sessions at the Pentagon. Greco ed the general manager of the Melrose and requested the lease contract changed to a two-bedroom suite, which was expedited while Greco was on the phone. On the [date], a clear spring Tuesday morning, PJ’s black limo pulled into the Melrose welcoming area. When they arrived at CIA headquarters – a roughly forty-five minute drive covering the eight and a half miles – Greco and Maria were ushered into PJ’s office. P.J. greeted Greco, carefully studying the woman. She looked strangely familiar to the CIA director. “Oh sorry, PJ. This is my wife, Maria.” PJ snapped his fingers on his right hand. “Yes, yes, I meeting her three years ago when you were in the Walter Reed Hospital. Mrs. Mohammed, it is nice to see you again and I appreciate you loaning us your husband for this project. May I call you, Maria?” “Yes, you may. I you very well.” “Great. Just call me PJ.” “I appreciate that.” “Maria, Greco and I will be gone perhaps until late in the afternoon. We have a cafeteria. Let me show you our cafeteria.” P.J. led them to the elevator. He pushed a button marked “BL.” Maria tried to stifle a chuckle.

“What does BL stand for? Breakfast and lunch?” P.J. and Greco both laughed. “No, it means below level. The kitchen and the cafeteria are located five stories below ground level. It is, a complete food preparation unit with a large walk-in freezer and pantry capable, if necessary, of feeding twenty-five hundred people for up to one hundred twenty days.” Greco looked a bit wide-eyed. He had spent so much time on projects of the utmost national security that he missed the seemingly mundane amenities of the headquarters of his employer. “Wow, P.J., even I did not know this existed. Of course, the only times I was here it was strictly in a meeting in your office.” Both got the quick nickel tour of the facility, which impressed them. Everything, of course, was classified information. “Okay, I’m sure I will be fine. This is a wonderful facility.” “Well, this area was created that if a nuclear holocaust or a broad terrorist attack were to take place, the president, vice president and cabinet officials, including the Supreme Court Justices, would be housed here. On this same level in the opposite direction of the elevator are sleeping quarters, bathroom and shower facilities for men and women. We have a connection to the White House and sidewalk elevators to quickly move the officials to this area, if necessary.” PJ turned to Maria said, “While we are gone if you like history…” Maria said, “Oh, I do. I do.” “I will have my secretary first take you to lunch and then onto a tour of our National Cryptologic Museum which houses our narratives and archives illustrating intelligence gathering practices since the 1940s. It will probably take you two to three hours to tour that facility. Then, perhaps a stroll down the CIA Museum corridor and you can see some of the artifacts we have gathered over the years most since 1945 to the present. Unfortunately, the Museum is not open for public tours because it is located in this building.”

The gravity of Greco’s new assignment was beginning to sink into Maria’s mind.

CHAPTER 4

P J AND GRECO left for the Pentagon – a trip of about seven and a half miles lasting about forty minutes or so given the typical DC traffic. Arriving five minutes early – at ten-twenty-five a.m. – both were ushered into a special meeting room. Entering one of the lobbies they ed by a large mural on the wall depicting numerous icons of World War II from tanks to the famous scene from Iwo Jima when the American flag was raised. They walked further on to a small conference room in Wedge One that seated between twenty-five and forty persons. Both could still see the building scars from the 9/11 attack. It had a raised platform with a podium and four padded chairs at one end of the conference room. On the main floor of the conference room was a long handrubbed cherrywood table surrounded by twenty-six leather-padded chairs. This translated to each of the six military division having four seats each and the remaining two seats for guests. The others already were there, including the Army General t Chief of Staff, Homeland Security Director, and the FBI Director. The seats for CIA Director and Greco were next to General Myers, who would lead the meeting. The guards at the doors and the unconditional instructions for no interruptions signaled to Greco the extraordinary circumstances of this assignment. S. Anthony Cambona, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, spoke first. “Men, let me bring all of you up to date. The Strategic Branch came into being because of September 11, 2001. In dealing with the paucity of the information currently available to us, we realized that we must have a more feasible method of improving our nation’s human intelligence capabilities. As you already are aware, under Title 50, all departments of the executive branch are obligated to keep Congress and I quote ‘fully and currently informed of all intelligence activities,” end quote. However, the law specifically exempts ‘traditional military activities’ and their ‘routine .’ Thus, the necessity to create this branch. General Myers nodded. Cambona continued. “The focus of this intelligence initiative is on emerging target countries such as

Somalia, Yemen, Indonesia, Philippines, and North Korea. We already have used this method to gather information in Afghanistan and Iraq. In light of the unwillingness of previous istrations, we must now take the initiative, step up to the plate and do what others have failed to do. We must keep the American people secure. We have two targets of obvious concern – North Korea and Iran. The mission into North Korea will be code name “ICON” International Covert Operations Nuclear. We will address Iran later. Cambona paused for a moment and then continued. “Since October of 2002, when Acting Assistant Secretary Kelly confronted North Korea with hard evidence that they were pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of the 1994 framework of and its adherence to the Non-Proliferation Treaty there has been a simmering crisis that has reached an unacceptable point. Pyongyang’s subsequent actions in assessing the right to possess nuclear weapons, breaking the seals on a reactor put there by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Association) and the expulsion of IAEA from the Yongbyon nuclear facilities have made matters far more serious than we can reasonably tolerate any further.” Greco knew this scenario well. And, he knew well enough that the crisis had laid the basis for reported splits within the current istration over the best strategy for dealing with North Korea. Some were pushing for diplomacy to reassure North Korea that any action would stop well short of any desire to overthrow the current regime. Meanwhile, Greco knew well that others suggested that, with Beijing, they would remove the current regime. At the moment, diplomacy had the upper hand but Greco knew that everything sat precariously in place. As far back as the Reagan istration in the middle eighties, analysts had projected what an eventual North Korean nuclear arms program would look like. American officials were surprised at China’s offer to broker such discussions. Greco also knew that the determined opposition of Paul Wolfowitz, who was then acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia and all Pacific affairs, effectively killed the initiative. Greco believed this was because of the ideological suspicion toward any Chinese initiative as well as Wolfowitz’s concerns about adverse reactions by the right-wing Republicans to the willingness to enter these talks.

Cambona continued explaining how the current and most recent Presidents had sought Beijing’s cooperation in pressing North Korea to live up to its commitments and avoid any steps that would destabilize the Korean peninsula and the entire East Asian region. Cambona reminded the participants that, in 1991, North Korea and South Korea were engaged in delicate parallel negotiations aimed at agreements on reconciliation between the two countries and the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Then, the senior Bush’s istration in 1991 decided to withdraw its nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula as part of a worldwide drawdown of U.S. tactical nuclear deployments weapons as a key step toward the denuclearization of the peninsula. Some had questioned the wisdom of opening any vulnerability even in the heady days of a new spirit of global cooperation. Greco nodded in acknowledgement as Cambona recalled that South Korea’s President Roh did not want the U.S. to have any direct with Pyongyang. Roh became very upset with the freelance diplomacy of political dealmaker Shin Kanemaru from Japan who had gone to North Korea to discuss with Kim-il Sung normalization of ties between the two countries. Because of South Korea’s pressure on Japan’s government, Kanemaru was brought back on concerns from those who had serious reservations about Tokyo’s position falling into line more with South Korea and the U.S. Some believed that Beijing should use their advantage to put the pressure on North Korea. Greco senses that this was the current thinking of the present istration. Greco smiled as Cambona stopped to take a sip of water and continued. “James Baker said it best. The U.S. remains the key to orchestrating international pressures on South Korea’s behalf. In my mind, this also means that while we need to be sensitive to South Korea’s concerns, they also need to appreciate that our security commitments and interests give us a big say as well.” Cambona had now gone on for better than twenty minutes. Again, he paused to drink from his cup before continuing. Greco was pleased that he already was quite familiar with the content in Cambona’s backgrounding monologue. Greco knew that, in 2002, the CIA concluded that North Korea might indeed have nuclear weapons, a result of the collapse of the 1994 agreed framework as well as its covert uranium-enrichment program. In March of 2002, the commander-in-chief of the United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command and commander of state forces in the region told a Senate that North Korea is the country likely to involve the

United States in a large-scale war.” Cambona laid out the dire circumstances of the rogue state. The regime in Pyongyang was barely managing through its tenth consecutive year of economic decline. Even in the tightly controlled state, isolated incidents of social chaos threatened to explode and threaten the hard-handed regime’s existence. It was obvious that Premier Kim Chon-il will clearly sacrifice the public’s welfare to continue his “military first” policy. Some of the facts were hardly classified. Even the general public knew that Pyongyang’s army functioned not just for its military expertise but also as the struggling nation’s largest employer, purchaser and consumer. It is the central unifying structure in the country, the fifth largest armed forces unit in the world. It continues to produce and deploy medium-range Dong missiles capable of striking American bases in Japan. Despite its dire economic straits, the nation continued to develop multi-stage missiles with a goal of striking the continental United States. Military scientists have tested the two-thousand-kilometer range Taepo-Dong weapon and they continue to work on the five-thousand-pluskilometer Taepo-Dong-2. Although many argued extensively as to the extent of possible weapons of mass destruction in North Korean hands, senior analysts speculated that its modest, vulnerable arsenal of Scud missiles covered a more insidious stockpile which includes an estimated five thousand metric tons of chemical agents, including nerve, choking, and blistering gases. This did not include anthrax and other pathological viruses that might be held in small laboratories. Greco was fidgeting in his seat now. Cambona had gone on for almost forty-five minutes and he had yet to get to the gist of the mission. It was no surprise that the Korean peninsula was dangerous and unpredictable. Greco learned practically nothing new up until this point. Finally, Cambona seemed to be getting to the heart of today’s meeting. Amid the bureaucratic redundancies, the most important words were finally coming out. “To combat this program our number-one priority of combat readiness consists of six key elements: first, planning; second, training; third, exercise; fourth, logistics; fifth, equipment, and sixth, personnel. You will see these in the notes placed before you today. We remain concerned by a war scenario involving two major theaters, which would put severe limitations on our strategic airlift and

sealift assets and, thereby, slow the use of our forces and supplies to Korea. “First, for airlift, this involves the ongoing acquisitions of the C-17 and future efforts to improve the renewal of the C-5 as well as continued of the Civil Reserve Fleet. “Second, for sealift, this includes completion of our ready force and large, medium speed roll-on, roll-off programs and pre-positioning. This includes the maintenance and funding for programs of the military services.” Cambona finally was getting to the tacks of the day. “South Korea is considered a hardship area because personnel tempo is threehundred-sixty-five days a year. Our military and civilians wake up each day to the most threatening situations in the world today. In 2004, we finished the construction of decent living quarters for our military. “This is why I am asking for four-hundred-sixty-nine million dollars per year for the next eight years. We need to improve our training facilities, Operational Readiness (OPTEMPO) and our Land Forces Readiness (OPRED) for the Korea Battle Simulation Center. Greco sat up, anticipating that Cambona was finally wrapping his lengthy report. “In conclusion, I leave you with these thoughts. We appreciate the of Congress, South Korea and the American people. As long as North Korea understands we are a unified deterrent, we will prevail.” Cambona mentioned that the meeting would be adjourned for an hour-long lunch break, and it would be promptly reconvened at 1300 hours. As everyone gathered after lunch, Greco groaned to himself that another lengthy report was likely on its way. At 1300 hours, General Larry J. Laparte began his report. “There are reportedly as many as twenty-two nuclear facilities in eighteen locations in North Korea. These include uranium mines, refinery plants, nuclear fuel plants, nuclear reactors, reprocessing facilities and research facilities. They have research centers in Yongbyon and Sunchon and an atomic plant in Sinpo. The General rattled off the list.

“Nuclear weapons development organs include the Atomic Energy Department of Kim IL-song University. The Physics Department of Kanggye Defense College, the metal science department under the chemical department and the physics research institute of Pyongsong College of Science, the college of physics in Yongbyon Atomic Research Center and the uranium mines in Kusong in North Pyongan province, an unidentified place in North Hwanghea province and Sunchon in South Pyongan province. The General paused for a moment. Greco’s steel memory kicked into gear, partly out of boredom and partly out of tactical importance. For him, memorizing this list would serve him well in the future. “This unidentified place in North Hwanghea Province near the China border is the area we want ICON to investigate. We believe it is located near Chongjin. That is one-hundred-twenty-eight degrees east and forty-two degrees north of Chongjin. We have reason to believe this is near the area where they are testing some of their nuclear programs.” The General won points for brevity and sticking to the most relevant details. Greco relaxed, thinking that the meeting would now proceed at a much quicker pace. The General continued. “I now turn the program over to the Secretary of Defense and The Chairman of the t Chief of Staff.” At this point, the Secretary of Defense introduced Cushing. Cushing started off by introducing Greco. “When the Secretary of Defense was searching for such a man who could handle ICON, he called me and immediately asked who I might know to handle this mission. I told him I only knew one man – retired – but if I could convince him to come out of retirement, he would be the ideal man. The man I am about to introduce to you this afternoon I came to know, at first, only by the code name ‘Bird of Prey.’ He had been with the CIA for more than twenty years and he has worked most of those years as a double agent. I am sure all of you have heard of the wanted Al-Qaeda fugitive Greco Fassoud.” Leave it to Cushing to provide the meeting’s most dramatic moment to date. The officials sat up noticeably in their chairs. Greco smiled, almost triumphant.

“Even our own agents were looking to capture this man, believing that he was a notorious terrorist when, in fact, he was very deep under cover, known only to the CIA director. Cushing seemed to be enjoying the dramatic effect of pausing ever so briefly. “Greco Fassoud was captured and seriously wounded a couple of years ago in Mompox, Colombia. The South American venue gave us the opportunity. Desperately wanting to retire, Greco agreed to have his death faked and he has been living abroad since then. He recently married a tremendously lovely woman – Maria Altos, a ed nurse. Cushing turned briefly to Greco and smiled. “Because of his unparalleled experience in extraordinary espionage which is only sured by his profound love for his country, I have called upon him to come out of retirement. He is the one man who can be trusted to carry out this unprecedented mission. He, single-handedly, is the man responsible for keeping us best informed about the aborted plot from 2004 to kill millions of Americans using inflatable dirigibles armed with various viruses and chemicals.” Cushing took a sip of water and continued. “He was instrumental in bringing down the most notorious drug czars in Central and South America. He helped set up training camps for MS13 in Honduras and El Salvador. Unmatched in his capacity to capture every detail, large or small, he gave us photos and names of countless of ruthless thieves, rapists, muggers, and exploiters of human flesh as well as smugglers of Al-Qaeda terrorists. It was this information that led to the arrest of over one hundred MS13 throughout the U.S. in March of 2005. El Salvador and Honduras have both agreed recently to take a hard stance against the gangs operating within their borders. I present Mr. Greco Mohammed.” The assembled officials applauded loudly and Greco waved them to stop. Finally, we can talk about the mission. The Secretary of Defense spoke. “Greco, obviously grasp the gravity of this mission?”

“Yes, sir.” “Then, why do you volunteer so quickly and with barely any reluctance for this mission?” Greco didn’t need a second to collect his thoughts. “Because Mr. Secretary, I love my country and I will, willing lay down, if necessary, my life for my country.” “Didn’t you just get married?” “Yes, sir. Almost three months ago.” “What does your wife think about what you are doing?” “She knows the desire in my heart and wants me to do what I feel is best. We trust each other to speak openly about all of our feelings.” General Laparte interrupted. “Mr. Mohammed, you do realize you will be going into a foreign country and if captured, you would either be imprisoned for life or tried and shot as a spy, unfortunately the latter.” “Yes, sir.” “You understand the U.S. government would deny any association with you. You and others of your group, if captured, would be branded as soldiers of fortune.” Again, Greco didn’t even flinch. “I understand that.” Laparte was satisfied, if even a bit impressed. Greco was rare in his unconditional service for national duty. “All of your findings will be reported to the Secretary of Defense and to the Army t Chief of Staff, General R. Myers, as well as the CIA. There will be absolutely no one you could turn to for help.”

Greco nodded his acceptance. Cambona spoke. “Okay, Mr. Mohammed. We have determined we need a four-man mission including you. Have you selected your men?” “Yes sir, I have. I was given a list of twelve men and from those I have selected three men who I feel capable of doing the job.” Greco’s confident tone seemed to reassure the assembled officials. Cushing smiled as if his star student had, once again, presented outstanding work. “I have selected three men from the Eighth Army Division from the Special Operations of Korea group. First is Sergeant Mac Erick, video and communications specialist, serial number four-nine-give-six-seven-one-zerofour-three. He is twenty-six years old, single and thus no immediate family in case of a mishap. Second is Sergeant James Wesley, also twenty-six years old camera/computer specialist, serial number four-eight-two-seven-nine-three-twoone-five. He will serve as medic, again single. Finally, Sergeant Billy John, twenty-five years old, explosives expert, serial number four-three-seven-eighttwo-four-five-five-six, a graduate in physics from M.I.T., also single, no immediate family.” Greco paused briefly. The officials seemed quite satisfied. “All three men are expert sharpshooters with handguns as well as rifles. They are thoroughly trained with all hand weapons and are expertly trained in hand-tohand combat. Each man is capable of throwing a knife twenty yards, if needed to slit a man’s throat. Out of a hundred targets, their accumulative total is ninetyeight point nine percent accurate. They are equally qualified in communications, demolitions, and surveillance photography. And, to boot, all three men are ambidextrous.” At this point, General Laparte replied. “All these men are under my command and based at Yongsan. They are excellent choices – just as intelligent and dedicated as Mr. Mohammed here.” Greco nodded in respect. “What equipment will you need?”

“Besides weapons, each will need to carry a protracting com, GPS, and a wireless solar-battery laptop, along with their usual survival and medical provisions. Each man will have a small one-man inflatable rubber boat.” “What about food rations?” “These men are trained and know how to live off the land. There are plants, larvae, numerous insects, small animals, and, of course, fish from the rivers.” “It sounds to me these men are resourceful survivors.” “They are capable in every aspect.” “What type of laptops will you use?” “The Hewlett Packard is our choice.” Greco paused briefly before continuing. “If possible, we will check every day and report via laptop links to the Pentagon, the Department of Defense and to the CIA. Security dedicated software I have written will be installed on each computer where anyone who attempts to enter the computer without the proper code will automatically cause the computer to self-destruct. There will be no compromise of information gathered.” Greco stopped for a second to take a sip of water. “The removal of all clothing identification worn in ICON will help to insulate the U.S. from accusations. We will not use government-issued clothing or boots. We have had special insulated boots and clothes made in Korea and purchased on the black market. Once we have completed our mission we hope to use our inflatable rubber boats and move down one of the many waterways toward South Korea. Currently, we plan to use Doo Man River, which flows into Tae Dong River.” Cushing spoke up. “We have a mole in North Korea. He will meet ICON in the Demilitarization Zone, and they will move to Taesong-Dong in South Korea. That will just be for overnight. They do not allow anyone into that area except those who have

ancestral connections to that area. Under the cover of darkness, the group will then over to Ki Chong-long – the ‘Peace Village’ – North Korea. We also sometimes call it ‘propaganda village.’ It is also known as Pan-mun-jom.” General P.J. Schoonmacher, U.S. Army Chief of Staff spoke up. “The demilitarized zone is four clicks – or kilometers – wide and two-hundredforty-eight kilometers long. There used to be tunnels dug under this area for covert action. Those tunnels are now sealed.” Schoonmacher paused briefly. “However, since then we have dug a tunnel into the Taesong-Dong area. It comes up in the ‘Kwon Hyok Pae’ home. He also has a tunnel dug from his home into ‘Peace Village.’ His brother, Cheong Jong Hwvan, lives there and is sympathetic to the endeavors of the South. These two men will be their guides through out this mission. Any questions so far?” Clearly, the participants had done their research. General Schoonmacher continued. “Okay. Let me enlighten you more about North Korea, Their major shipyards are Nampo and Wonsan. They have two major fleets with one, the Yellow Sea fleet, whose headquarters are at Nampo. The fleet has approximately six squadrons and three hundred ships. The major bases for these are at Pipagot and Sagot with smaller bases at Cho-do and Tosa-ri.” The general paused so that Greco and the others could absorb the details. “The East Sea Fleet has ten squadrons with approximately four hundred seventy ships and their headquarters are at T’ogoedong with major bases at Najin, and Wonsan. Their lesser bases are at Ch’aho, Chlangjn, Majangdo and Puamn, which is near the DMZ zone. The majority of their missiles are the ‘Silk Worm’ and the ‘Somlet.’ They have two amphibious surface sniper brigades with more than one hundred forty hover rubber boats, each capable of carrying a platoon size unit to designated areas.” Again, the general paused briefly. Greco sensed that he was going to repeat information that Cambona had droned on about in the morning session.

“As you know, Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea. It was the dream of Kim II Sung to have one country united as Korea. It is still the objective of Kim Jong Ill, his son. Their army is approximately one million men, thus making it the fifth largest army in the world. In December of 2002, it was revealed that North Korea was pursuing a nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement with the United States to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing plutonium based program. North Korea expelled the monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Then, in January of 2003, the North Korean government declared its withdrawal from the International Non-Proliferation Treaty. About the middle of 2003, they announced they had completed the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods to extract weapons-grade plutonium and they were developing a “nuclear deterrent.” Since then the six countries involved in the peace talks have been stalemated.” Greco knew that things were fluid once again. North Korea had recently announced that it would re the six-nation talks regarding the removal of all nuclear items from the Korean peninsular. The ICON mission was unusual, if only for the challenging geography involved. North Korea, slightly smaller than the state of Mississippi, borders Russia on the north, China on the west and South Korea on the south. The land is mostly hills and mountains separated by deep narrow valleys. North Korea – or more formally, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – often was referred to as “Choson” or “Minjujuui-inminKonghwaguk.” Since his father’s death in 1994, Kim Jong-il has been the chief of state. The country has seventy-eight airports, thirty-five paved runways and forty-three unpaved runways. The Korean’s People Army comprises army, navy, air force and civil security forces. For all of his life, Greco had known of a turbulent, divided Korea. Since 1953, the end of the unsanctioned war – or conflict, as some called it – there have been numerous maritime incidents between the two Korean nations. Just recently, Greco recalled reading about how North Korea strayed into South Korean waters and later it was rumored that North Korea had sunk a South Korean submarine. The general confirmed as much in his presentation. “We think this is propaganda as South Korea does not have any missing submarines.”

The briefings continued throughout the afternoon. At the end – at three forty-five p.m. – it was unanimously agreed that Greco would lead a team into North Korea and it would Cushing on a daily basis, if possible. He would, in turn, forward the reports to all necessary departments as well as the t chief of staffs with daily briefings. Greco would fly to Seoul, Korea and report to General Laparte’s headquarters upon arrival. There, the final preparations for ICON would be confirmed. General Laparte spoke up. “Greco?” “Yes.” “When will you be ready to leave?” “Today is the fifteenth and I will need a few days here to make final arrangements. I will arrive in Seoul, Korea on the twenty-second of this month.” And with that deadline announced, the meeting ended. The officials visited for a few minutes and then P.J. and Greco left the meeting and returned to PJ’s office in Langley. They rode in the back of the limousine in silence. Greco was thinking about Maria and the birth of their first child – or twins as the doctor had thought. He thought about the one paradox he could not mention to Maria. He had selected candidates for his team whose lives, at least on the surface, were not colored with thoughts of loved ones or of young family . However, here he was – married, an expectant father. Perhaps most unsettling was his own doubts about why he volunteered so quickly for this mission. His impending departure would not be easy. The limo stopped in front of CIA headquarters and both men went to PJ’s office. They found Maria discussing her pregnancy with one of the istrative assistants. “Do you want a boy or girl?” “I’m hoping it’s a boy who looks just like Greco. However, the doctor thinks we might be having twins.” Greco caught the last part of Maria’s line. P.J. invited Greco and Maria to dinner but Greco politely declined.

“P.J., I’m sure we would love to and I promise that the three of us will get together for dinner. But, I know that Maria is tired and I’ve missed her all day.” P.J. smiled. “Greco, of course. We’ll do it soon.” P.J. had his limo driver take Greco and Maria back to the Melrose. On the way to the Melrose, Greco shared with Maria and that he would leave on the twenty-second of this month. He was not sure of the mission’s length but suspected he would be gone thirty to forty-five days. At least his target day to return was the twenty-second of the following month. It could be longer. Then he ionately kissed Maria, who hesitated to let him free of her arms. The bellman opened the door of the limo and helped Maria out. They went to the front desk and secured their room key. From the restaurant, they ordered twelveounce Delmonico steaks, baked sweet potatoes, a tossed salad for two and a bottle of Mumm’s on ice – all to be sent to their room. Soon they were enjoying a hot shower together. They had finished their showers and donned their house robes when the buzzer rang, announcing their dinner. Greco tipped the bellman his usual twenty-five percent and they sat at the dinette, enjoying a quiet, ordinary meal with the bonus of a capital skyline bathed in the eerie warmth of halogen lights. Maria had decided to limit her intake of any alcoholic drinks until after the pregnancy ended. They ate with very few words exchanged. Both seemed to enjoy the peace and security of being together in a casual scene of reassuring comfort. Maria noticed Greco’s eyes were moist. She gently stroked his cheeks. Of the endless list of traits that endeared her forever to her new husband, his humanity – often scrupulously guarded behind a veneer of resourcefulness and fierce intelligence – shown itself in the most touching ways. Words were hardly needed. Maria’s gentle touch signaled Greco that she knew and that she accepted that his love of country and his love for her were unmistakably connected. One was strengthened by the other. Long before she accepted his proposal to marry, she knew that this duality was central to his remarkable capacity for love. At this point, little needed to be said. Greco was greatly concerned about leaving Maria but she assured him everything would be fine. After all, she was a ed nurse. Strangely enough, Greco felt slightly more at ease at the

prospect of leaving Maria even for a short time on a mission of unprecedented danger. Maria’s entry into his life was hardly happenstance. Her presence now signified – underscored – his ready acceptance of a treacherous endeavor just barely twenty-four months after he had settled for a peaceful, risk-free existence. The evening’s peace was not complete though. In the distance, the television newscast could be heard. News of the MS13 groups documented the headlines early in the newscast as government officials told reporters about concerns that these gangs were smuggling terrorists into the States. Greco and Maria decided that the next day would be for relaxation. Later in the day, he would begin making his flight arrangements.

CHAPTER 5

T HE NEXT MORNING, Maria awoke feeling nauseous. She ate four lightly salted crackers she had set bedside just in case this happened. She poured herself a glass of water from the carafe to wash down the crackers and in a few moments, she felt much better. Greco called room service to order breakfast, which would arrive just in time after their shower. Greco opened the complimentary morning paper and noticed the headline on page three: “Nuke talks still open to North Korea.” Despite its saber rattling, North Korea had agreed to return to the six-nation talks. However, amid North Korea’s declaration that it has nuclear weapons and that it would pull out of talks aimed at eliminating them, government officials from the United States and the other nations – China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea – replied in tempered tones about plans to return to the negotiations. The defiant, lengthy statement got the attention of the world and dashed hope for an early resumption of talks aimed at ending its nuclear program. The American government’s statement was unmistakably plain: “They are only deepening their isolation and the world has offered them a way out and we still hope they will take that way out.” Despite concerns about the rogue nation’s threats, the announced North Korean missile program was modest at best:

(1) SCUD-B: Range 186 miles estimated (2) Hwasong-5: Range 205 miles estimated (3) SCUD-C: Range 310 miles estimated (4) Hwasong-6: Range 310 miles estimated (5) No-Dong-1, 2: Range 807 miles estimated (6) Taepo-Dong-1: Range 1,240-1,800 miles estimated

(7) No-Dong-B: Range 1,700-2,485 miles estimated (8) Taepo-Dong 2: Range 2,330-3,728 miles estimated

Greco also knew that North Korea was developing third-stage boosters for the Taepo-Dong series, which could send warheads into orbit providing unlimited range. Greco looked up from the newspaper at Maria. “Maria, this is partly the reason why we’re going into North Korea. We need to these missiles plus the weapons of mass destruction and their nuclear capability.” He pointed out the article to her. She read for a few seconds in silence. Greco saw a single tear trickling down Maria’s left cheek. “Greco, please be careful. I can’t even begin to think of you gone. I thought once that I lost you and I never want it to happen again.” Greco gently stroked Maria’s left cheek and kissed her softly. Now was not the time to let his emotions inside take over. “I will Maria. I will.” Maria squeezed his right hand. “I will pray for you every possible moment.” Greco smiled. “Maria, I could never imagine a moment without you in my mind and heart.” Later that morning, Greco called the Korean Airlines reservation desk and booked himself on KE Flight 94 out of Dulles International to Incheon and a return flight on the twenty-second of May on KE Flight 93. He requested and was assigned to the bulkhead seat – 6F, his favorite seat – on both flights. He sent an encoded email to General Laparte indicating that he would be arriving at 1700 hrs on KE 94.

The next day they went shopping at Crystal City, and Maria bought a special gift for Greco. As she looked all over the department store, she finally found him at the women’s cosmetics counter buying several jars of a dark liquid makeup cream. She was surprised but she never asked. He never told her why or what they were for. They stopped in the infants clothing and accessory department and purchased pairs of brightly-colored rattles and small windup mobiles with music and small birds that seemed perfect for the cribs they would need for the twins they anticipated. Despite the fact the doctor had yet to confirm that Maria was carrying twins, both seemed settled on the prospects that they would be a family of four. Relaxed after an entertaining afternoon of casual browsing, they went back to the Melrose and had dinner in the restaurant. They both chose the roast leg of lamb with mint sauce, baked stuffed potatoes, buttered cauliflower, and green salad with claret dressing. Dessert was cranberry mousse, coffee and a rich, sweet, mellow red wine. They were both excited about her pregnancy, reviewing baby names. Greco reiterated to Maria that the planned operation would last forty-five days likely and would not be longer than sixty, pending any unforeseen catastrophers, from the time he left. After dinner, they went up to their new two-bedroom apartment where the hotel had moved them. Greco packed his large special-issue bag for departure. All the equipment he would need would be supplied at the base in Yongsong. They showered and went to bed a little before midnight. They slept late in the next morning – the twenty-first, waking up at nine a.m. – and ordered some food from the morning brunch sent up to their room. After brunch, they called down and asked the bellman for a taxi to Dulles at eleven a.m. After Greco paid the cabbie and tipped him the usual twenty-five percent, he and Maria walked into the terminal to the Korean Airlines desk. Greco showed his port, paid for his tickets at the normal fare of one thousand four hundred eighty dollars and checked his luggage. The flight would leave at 1330 hrs and arrive in Incheon International in Seoul 1500 hrs the next day (the twenty-second). Maria went as far as she could to the security checkpoint. While the TSA officer checked his tickets, Greco kissed Maria. Few words had been spoken since they left the Melrose. At the last possible moment, she gave him a small jewelry-sized box wrapped elegantly in shiny silver with a tiny white bow. She said to wait until he was on the plane to open the box. Greco hugged her deeply, kissed her, whispered into her ear, and walked through the

security line maze. She watched every movement and chuckled lightly as he removed his shoes, gave them to the security agent, and then waited for them to be returned. As he sat down to put his shoes on, Maria waved good-bye and blew a bouquet of kisses. Greco smiled, intently returning the bouquet kiss by kiss. Maria stood as long as she could still see him. Maria was proud that she held back her tears. She strolled confidently out of the terminal and was back in a cab to the Melrose within a matter of seconds. As the taxi left the airport, she looked back at the tarmac, hoping to glimpse the plane that Greco would board. She buried her head in her hands and started crying, softly but loud enough for the driver to hand her a Kleenex. She nodded silently. Despite Greco’s assurance that the mission would be swift and he would be back in a month, Maria knew that the days would at that excruciatingly slow pace of nervous anticipation. Earlier, she told Greco that she would be busy decorating their new apartment, planning the bedroom for one – or two – babies. Greco walked quickly to the boarding area surrounding his departure gate (3A). He still had thirty-five minutes before boarding would begin but all he could think about was the small gift-wrapped box. He kept shaking the box, trying futilely to figure out what Maria had bought for him. There was no sound when he shook the box. It was heavy or at least he thought it was heavy. He started to carefully peel a way of a corner of the wrapping but he stopped after a couple of seconds, ing his promise to Maria. Even as newlyweds, both had honed their instincts about the other. In their marriage, silence spoke volumes. As scheduled, thirty-five minutes later, the gate agent announced boarding would commence for KE Flight 94. The gate agent continued with the usual boarding routine and Greco waited until his row group was called. He quickly settled into the bulkhead seat in the sixth row, business class, which was on the plane’s left side. Considering how much flight time he’s logged throughout his career, he never lost a bag. Nonetheless, Greco watched while the handlers loaded luggage onto the plane. As soon as he settled into his seat, a flight attendant asked if he’d like a drink. He asked for his usual glass of Chardonnay. Before he touched his wine, he ed the gift box. Taking a small sip, he removed the gift box from his jacket just as the attendant asked if he would like her to hang up his jacket. He carefully peeled back the silver wrapping as if he

wanted to keep it free of any small rips. The box revealed an exquisitely detailed medal of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of protection, on a heavy gold chain. Greco noticed the medal was thick, even more so than the old Kennedy pure silver half-dollar coins. On the back was an inscription, equally exquisite in its crafting, with Maria’s name and the date of June twenty-one, two thousand six inscribed. He loosened his tie, unbuttoned his shirt collar and placed the chain around his neck. Tucked into the box was a handwritten note in Maria’s distinctive penmanship with beautifully rounded letters and serif flourishes: I love you and will pray for you every moment. Please wear this medal always of protection. All my deepest love, Maria. Greco finished his wine as the main cabin attendant went through the usual procedures before takeoff. The 744 – actually a 747-400 which holds three hundred eighty-three engers – pushed back from the jet-bridge and soon KE 94 moved out to the runway when the flight captain announced the plane was seventh in line. It would be about fifteen minutes before they would be airborne. After a smooth takeoff and once the plane reached its cruising altitude of thirty-nine thousand feet, a flight attendant came down the aisle with a selection of newspapers in English and Korean. Another attendant brought him another glass of chardonnay wine. He selected a paper in each language. To Greco, Hangul was a difficult language to write, let alone read, especially since it had been at least fifteen years since he last studied the language. The CIA gave him a crash two-week refresher course in the language but even then reading it required a great deal of concentration. After a while, he set aside the paper and hoped the interpreters spoke good English. He leaned his seat back, set his watch sixteen hours ahead and dozed off to sleep. After another ten minutes, a flight attendant gently awakened him and gave him a terry-cotton hand cloth. He washed his face and his hands and prepared to eat. The business-class menu was simple: steamed whitefish, rice and a small fruit salad with melons and a couple of large, juicy strawberries. He also enjoyed his third glass of wine, feeling oddly refreshed. When he finished eating, he asked for some black coffee that brought back memories of the coffee he had in Brazil. He did not drink the coffee thinking it was a bit strong for his taste. Shortly after

the meal, attendants turned off the cabin lights except for the aisle safety lights. As the cabin went dark, Greco thought about September 1, 1983 – who could forget – when supposedly the wrong coordinates were placed in KE 007’s computer and it strayed near the island of Sakhalin, the then-Soviet naval base, where it was shot down by Soviet fighter planes. All two hundred sixty-nine engers were lost, including some U.S. government officials. Among them was Lawrence McDonald, forty-eight, a Democratic congressman from Georgia. Much of the information by CIA remained classified and many documents were turned over by the former Soviets. Several Americans on board were Soviet linguists. Greco had noted that all KE planes now were equipped with lights meant to avoid the risk of any recurrence. The KE disaster stood out clearly in Greco’s mind. He had just ed the CIA. In fact, he lost a friend – McDonald – on that flight. Greco leaned his seat all the way back and the extender came out to his feet. The flight attendant offered him a blanket and a pillow and soon Greco was sleeping. After an hour, he woke with a start. The nightmare was clear in his mind. Somehow, the mission had been foiled and he was shot. The others escaped without injury. Could this be Mompox all over again? He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his left shirtsleeve and laid there for a few minutes before going back to sleep. After a few more hours, he woke up and noticed his watch read 0900 hrs on April twenty-second. He straightened his seat, removed his seat belt, pulled his little overnight bag out, and walked the short distance to the plane’s lavatory. He shaved, brushed his teeth and freshened his deodorant. When he came out of the lavatory, three other engers were waiting. Their looks obviously showed they had become quite impatient. Greco had spent less than ten minutes in the lavatory. He went back to his seat, placed his overnight bag in the overhead bin, sat back in his seat, and fastened his seat belt. The business class flight attendant served him a breakfast of egg omelet, orange juice and toast. One of the other attendants announced the plane would land at Incheon International in twenty-six minutes. The hours of sedated movements gave way quickly to the hectic preparations for

the final descent. The flight attendant crew moved quickly, retrieving trash, and preparing engers for the touchdown. Greco always had been impressed by Korean Airlines’ efficiency. As promised, the plane alit on Korean soil twentysix minutes after the announcement. engers fidgeted waiting for the clearance to stand up and gather their belongings. Greco sat quietly. He unbuckled his seat belt, stood up and removed his carry-on from the overhead bin. The flight attendant had already handed him his jacket from the closet. He walked off the plane and up the jet-bridge headed toward baggage claim area 3C. He immediately noticed several U.S. Army MPs in the baggage claim area. When he claimed his luggage, a uniformed individual – obviously private first class – stepped up. “Mr. Greco Mohammed?” Greco saluted and the young man returned it. “I am PFC Feezell. I am your driver. General Laparte is waiting your arrival.” At curbside was a shiny black Mercedes Benz. Feezell opened the door for Greco, and both remained silent. Feezell drove to Camp Yongsan, roughly an hour and a half to two hours away. Greco thought constantly about Maria and mouthed silently a prayer. He rubbed the medallion between his fingers. ICON had begun.

CHAPTER 6

A PHALANX OF heavily armed security officers saluted the vehicle as it ed the gate and sped toward Laparte’s quarters. Feezell silently led Greco into the General’s office. It was early evening and the General was still working. He looked up as the PFC knocked at his office door. They exchanged salutes And Feezell, in a deep baritone that belied his incredibly youthful appearance, announced Greco. “Show him in immediately.” The general stood as Greco entered his office. The general extended his hand. He stood six feet with a medium build and had a full head of gray hair and steel-blue eyes. “Welcome to Yongsan base. Would you like some coffee? I made a pot just a few minutes ago.” The general had two offices, one for private meetings that was swept for bugs before every conference. This one measured fifteen meters by twenty meters. Particular in every respect, he took even the mundane task of making coffee with the gravest seriousness. “Yes, Sir. I certainly would like a cup. I prefer it just black – no sugar or cream.” “Well, how was your trip over?” “It was a good flight. Surprisingly smooth and comfortable.” General Laparte laughed. “Well, any flight that you can walk away from safely is a good flight. Isn’t it?” “Yes, General. It is.” “Here’s your coffee. Please sit down.” Laparte added a generous spoonful of sugar to his coffee. Greco thought that the

General must have a sweet tooth. “Greco, the reason I wanted to talk with you before the whole group is assembled is that I suspect the guides – one who lives in Freedom Village named Cheong and his brother, Kwon, who works in our photo lab – may be double agents. I say this to put you on your guard. We have had some items lost or damaged. Valuable photos misplaced or shredded by accident.” Laparte paused briefly, chuckling a bit. “Maybe I’m just the suspicious type.” “Sir, that’s been my life. I’m glad you told me upfront.” It was one a.m. when the two finished discussing the ICON details. He told Greco that at 1000 hrs he would introduce him to the other men in the counterespionage group. Greco asked and received permission to send an encrypted email to Maria, telling her that he arrived safely in Seoul and that he would leave within a couple of days for North Korea. After that, only fate would suggest when he would next communicate with his wife. His body welcomed the few hours of rest. After the long trip, he slept well. The ringing of the alarm clock woke him at eight-thirty a.m. He hurriedly shaved, showered and put on the normally accepted casual wear – t-shirt and khakis – and headed toward General Laparte’s’ office. It was 0945 hours when he entered the lobby area outside of the General’s office. The three other men were already assembled and waiting. At 1000 hours sharp, they entered into Laparte’s office. No margin for tardiness could be tolerated at this level. The customary exchange of salutes was over in a matter of second. Laparte began. “At ease, gentlemen. Let me introduce you to your team leader. Mr. Greco Mohammed.” Each introduced himself in rapid-fire succession. “Sergeant Mac Erick, Sir.” “Sergeant James Wesley, Sir.”

“Sergeant Billy John, Sir.” The General invited everyone to be seated. “From this time forward, your group will be referred to as ICON Mission.” He paused for a second to take a sip of water. “The CIA director and the Army t Chief of Staff need to hear from you every day, if possible. Your wireless laptop will give us your location.” He handed each man a little electronic device. “You must make sure this device is in one of the ports. This device will cause the laptop to explode in two minutes should you fail to type in the code ECI. This is a safety precaution in case the worst happens. That is, if your computer is confiscated. Therefore, individual laptops will not compromise the mission.” He paused briefly so that the assembled could briefly inspect their devices. “The objective of this mission is to determine exactly what weapons they do possess. We want you to check the areas around Chongjin and Hyesan. Both of these are close to the China border. If necessary, you may have to cross over into China to escape. We really prefer you not to as it obviously could trigger an international crisis.” The General paused again as to stress the dramatics of any conceivable consequence of this mission. “Besides your regular gear, each of you will carry a small inflatable one-man rubber boat. Simply pulling the attached cord will instantly inflate the rubber boat. The Koreans who will serve as your guides are two brothers, Kwon and Cheong Hyok Pae. They speak Hangul and some English. Do you have any questions?” The General paused again. “Wesley?” “Yes, Sir. What weapons will we carry?”

“Besides the equipment you’ll have for each of your specialties, each of you will carry a variety of small grenades, laser guns, knives, rope, water purifying tablets, waterproof matches, water canteen, small medical kit and your laptops.” He continued. “All of you will wear bulletproof vests under your clothing and, of course, you will have night vision goggles. Your outer clothing will be the native apparel of North Koreans which will be provided by Kwon’s brother Cheong.” The General noticed a hand up. “John?” “Sir, how long is the mission?” “Your mission should last approximately twenty-one days at the minimum and twenty-seven days maximum. If we lose with you on day twenty-eight, we will begin ing our moles to see if they can locate you. The that we will give them is ‘ICON.’ When they see you, their first question will be: ‘Are you cold and your reply will be ‘yes, I am as cold as ice.’ I hope that we will not need to them.” “Mac Erick?” “Sir, if we, for some unknown reason, are separated, do we individually continue our mission or… ?” Laparte cut him off suddenly. “Sergeant, if you are separated and the objectives have not been achieved you will continue until you achieve them – if necessary, individually. However, if they have been achieved and you are separated on your return, then each of you will be responsible only for yourself.” “Are there any more questions?” Greco looked at the others and spoke. “General, will we set any explosives?”

“You will set explosives only if necessary or instructed to do so by your leader. You will carry C-3 – a Russian-made explosive similar to our C-4. As you know, it consists of RDX, sometimes referred to as cyclonite or hexogen, other explosives and plasticizers. They are easily moldable and adaptable to the situation at hand. Therefore, if you do set explosives the North Koreans will find the residue of Russian-made explosives. We believe that North Korea will look either toward Chinese terrorists or Russian infiltrators.” The General paused as if to let the information settle in. “At each of these sites we want the coordinates and what the site currently contains. So, if war breaks out, we will know which targets to take out first. Of course, your reports will be sent in daily if, at all, possible.” “Are there any more questions?” Wesley moved forward in his chair. “When do we leave and will we take MREs?” “You will leave at 1900 hours tomorrow. My driver will drive you to Kwon Hyok Pae’s place. He will then start with you on the mission and, yes, you may take two or three MREs but no more.” Just as if it seemed that the briefing was to be adjourned, the General clicked the fingers on his right hand. “Oh, one other thing before I dismiss you.” He opened the file cabinet behind his desk and removed four odd-looking weapons. They looked futuristic, almost as if they belonged in some major blockbuster film where a celebrity hero battles alien invaders. He handed one to each. “Men, this will be the first time these weapons will be used. Our scientists have been working on these since July 1947 when a similar-looking weapon was found at Roswell. Body heat will charge the highly sensitive battery. Wearing it next to your skin, the weapon will be continuously recharged. In three minutes, these weapons can be recharged to full strength.”

The men looked amazed as if they were children who had received that special surprise toy gadget at Christmas. The weapons were light, weighing perhaps eighteen ounces or less. The General told them these unique stun-laser guns have a range of five hundred yards. Settings can be quickly switched to stun, burn, or, in the direst circumstances, kill. The General smiled broadly like a proud father. “Let me demonstrate.” He opened the door from his office to the outer lobby and ceremoniously set a four-inch-thick piece of armor plating on an easel. He stepped back to his desk about ten feet from the door, removed a fifth weapon from the file drawer and pointed it toward the armor plate. He squeezed the trigger and a silent, nonvisible beam of light shot forth from the stun-gun barrel. It immediately pierced a hole through the four-inch-thick steel armor plating. The metal had vaporized at the point of entry. The men nodded and smiled at each other. The General clearly enjoyed the theatrics of the moment. “There is enough energy stored in the battery from a full charge to last one hour. Therefore, this can do a lot of damage.” Again, the General paused. “Men, trust me. It is equally as stunning a performance with the stun portion as it is with the full laser power.” Wesley gasped. “Wow.” The General smiled and patted him on his shoulder. “Okay, men. This demonstration is finished. Before you are dismissed, let me say this: Each of these weapons has a special serial number. We do not want these falling into the wrong hands. At the left side of the barrel, there is a small button. Pushing that button will activate a self-destruct mode and, in a few seconds, the gun will self-destruct. Do not hesitate. This action will mean that everything and anything with a twenty-foot radius will be killed.”

The General was smooth, no doubt. “Men, return to your barracks. Finish packing, enjoy the evening and I will see you tomorrow at 1600 hours sharp. Do not speak to anyone about this demonstration or show the stun-laser weapon to anyone.”

CHAPTER 7

A LL THE of ICON met in General Laparte’s office promptly at 1600 hrs with the exception of Cheong, thirty-five, who was waiting for them in Peace Village. It was under the invisible sleeve of the night when Greco and his group met with Kwon who worked at the Yongsan army base under the direction of Sergeant Wesley. He was a quiet man, forty-one, married, the father of one son and the grandfather of a baby boy. When he and Greco met at the tunnel’s entrance, they bowed in respect to each other. The tunnel would take them through the demilitarized zone and eventually to the back room of Cheong’s home. Kwon spoke first. “Cheong, my brother, and I will guide you. He is five years younger than me and many say we look like twins.” Greco nodded. “Okay. Where is your brother?” “He is waiting for us at the other end of the tunnel.” “Okay.” Greco called each of his men by name. “Sergeant Erick.” “Yes, Sir.” “Is all of your gear ed for?” “Yes, Sir. I have incendiary and smoke grenades, knives, rope, water proof matches, water purifying tablets, a water canteen, medical kit, a one man inflatable life rubber boat, my stun-laser gun, a bullet-proof vest. One Sony VAIO wireless laptop, a video camera, a GPS com, one tripod stand and one pair of twenty-by-forty infra-red binoculars.”

“Very good. Men I will ask each of you the same question. I hope you do not become bored with repeating the items you have. This mission is extremely important to the United States and I cannot have it compromised because someone forgot the necessary items.” Greco’s thoroughness was well known in many sectors. “Sergeant Wesley.” “Yes, Sir.” “Please tell me your items.” “Yes, Sir. I have the same items.” “Tell them to me, Sergeant” The young man quickly realized that Greco had no tolerance for even a miniscule margin of error. “Yes, Sir. I have waterproof matches, a water canteen, a bulletproof vest, rope, knives, my stun-laser gun, an inflatable one-man rubber boat, my digital camera, my GPS com, medical kit, water purifying tablets, smoke and phosphorous grenades, my wireless laptop, one tripod stand and one pair of twenty-by-forty infra-red binoculars. Sir!” “Very good, Sergeant. Okay, Sergeant Billy John.” “Yes, Sir. I have water purifying tablets, water canteen, knives, rope, stun-laser gun, a variety of hand grenades including stun and smoke, bulletproof vest, a Sony VAIO laptop computer, a GPS com, a one-man inflatable vest and a medical kit. Oh yes, waterproof matches, my short-wave radio one tripod stand and one pair of twenty-by-forty infra-red binoculars.” “Very good, men. Here is one more item: two-way radio for your communications. Here are two for Kwon and his brother. They are all set on the same frequency.” Greco paused before continuing.

“These radios have a built-in descrambler. The purpose is that messages sent out are scrambled. To descramble these messages they have special receiving units. The code names when talking to Kwon is ‘Full Moon’ and to his brother Cheong, it will be ‘Blue Moon,’ respectively. If any of us run into trouble, we will use the code word ‘smoke.’ All of us be aware of this code word as it will involve, perhaps, all of us.” As they entered the tunnel, Greco made a mental note of the tunnel’s dimensions: seven feet high and eight feet wide, enough space to rapidly deploy and move platoons of soldiers. The ceiling had electrical lights illuminated by a diesel-fuel generator at the tunnel’s entrance. The tunnel’s floor of the tunnel was paved with stone. It was a brisk ten-minute walk to the opposite end of the tunnel. They reached a steel door encased in concrete with a large wheel like a boat steering wheel and a combination lock. Kwon spun the locked to clear it and then moved it to the right one-and-a-half turns stopping on fifty, then to the left to nineteen and again to the right to one. They all heard a click and Kwon began to turn the wheel to the left and the heavy steel door slowly opened. Kwon motioned the men through the opened door. The four men entered a small room. Greco seemed slightly bemused at the sight. I am glad there are only five of us. Not many more would ever fit in this room. Kwon stepped through the door, reached back to turn the lights off, and then closed and locked the huge steel door. Kwon – being a small, wiry man – was able to squeeze past the other four men. He then climbed some stairs and tapped on an overhead wooden door. Within a few seconds, they opened the door and Kwon motioned for Greco and his men to follow him. Greco went first, handing his backpack up to Kwon. They repeated this routine until all the men were standing in Cheong’s back room. Kwon locked the tunnel door with a large flat steel recessed bolt. The recessing of the bolt in the floor and the wooden door made it hard to detect. Once the wooden door was in place Cheong placed a large Korean rug over the door and moved his heavy wooden handmade bed over the spot that obscured the tunnel’s entrance. Kwon and Cheong were so busy hugging and speaking to each other in Hangul that Kwon forgot to introduce his brother to Greco. When he realized he apologized and said.

“Cheong, this is Greco Mohammed the team leader, Sergeant Mac Erick, Sergeant Leyton Wesley and Sergeant Billy John. Men, this is my brother, Cheong.” They all smiled, shook hands and exchanged greetings. Kwon spoke. “Brother, do you have all our clothes ready?” Cheong motioned to his brother and to himself. “We do good job, we will guide you. We will take you there safely and we will bring you home safely.” “Yes, Kwon, all our things are ready.” “You men will stay here and rest. Late tonight we will begin our journey.” “Okay, men. Let’s rest and this evening before we leave we will apply our stain and use the clothing Cheong has provided for us.” It was late afternoon when the men awoke and they began to apply the beetle-nut stain to their bodies. Greco opened his laptop and queued the same message: one to the CIA director P.J. Cushing, one to the t Chief of Staff and one to the Secretary of State. The decoded message read: Left General Laparte’s yesterday. We are currently in Peace Village. We leave later tonight on ICON. The fourth message was to Maria: Dear Maria, We have started. We are currently in the DMZ area. We will leave later tonight. I miss you tremendously and hope you are feeling better. Thank you for the medal. I wear it at all times. Love, Greco. As soon as the men finished applying the stain Greco had purchased at Neiman Marcus back in Washington, they dressed in the clothes Cheong had gathered for them. The ICON team seemed puzzled by Cheong’s selections. He handed to each of the men a medium shoulder-length straight black hair wig and a long-

billed baseball cap. “What are these?” They replied in unison. “They are men’s wigs which will help you to as North Koreans.” It was well after dark – 2200 hours – when Kwon, his brother Cheong and the ICON team left the demilitarized zone. Greco was worried despite his extensive preparation. If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. He was disturbed with the plan. True, everything up to now had worked very smoothly. He had planned to entered North Korea and travel under cover of night. However, Cheong had a friend who had purchased two Hyundais in Seoul. They were Tucson Sports Utility SUVs to use in a taxicab service he was starting in Hamhung. He had asked Cheong to drive one of the SUVs to Hamhung for him.Chapter 8 T HEY ALL LOADED into the SUV with their gear stowed in the trunk. Cheong turned on the taxi sign on top of the SUV. Below, another sign indicated “in service.” They started the long journey to Hamhung – an eight-hour trip on two hundred seventy-five miles of roads, some paved, some under construction, and others unpaved. From Hamhung they hoped to play “hobo” and ride the rails to Chongjin and to or near Hyesan, which was across the Yalu River from China. Once the mission was completed, they hope to make their way to either the river then go southwest to Nampo or the Imjin River from Wonsan to the Yellow Sea. Greco preferred Doo Man River. Once they had succeeded, a South Korean submarine, if needed, would be on standby in the Yellow Sea to pick them up. They did not plan to cross back into South Korea by way of the DMZ. The submarine was suggested because returning via the DMZ might jeopardize the connecting tunnel between North and South Korea. They had been driving about three hours and Greco thought that this was no American expressway or German Autobahn. The road was dotted continuously with chuckholes and stones of varying sizes. They saw no traffic as expected at the early hour of four a.m. Despite the rocky surface, some of the men started to doze off but were startled awake at what sounded like a gun. Suddenly the SUV

started swaying to the left and then right but Cheong was able to keep the vehicle in the road. The left front tire on the driver’s side blew out. They all scrambled out of the SUV and unloaded their gear. The men took their gear and went into the heavy brush beside the road. Kwon and Cheong quickly jacked up the front of the SUV. They had started to change the tire when around the curve an older Russian model jeep (BJ2020) appeared with four North Korean soldiers. The jeep came to a halt and the soldiers got out of the jeep. Cheong explained that he and his brother Kwon were driving the SUV to Hamhung for a friend who wanted to start a taxi service. The soldiers looked at their documents and made a few remarks. Then one of them started laughing. “Only crazy people and soldiers would drive in these mountains at night.” Then the soldiers loaded back in the jeep and went on their way to “peace village” where a garrison was stationed. The whole incident had taken less than three minutes. Greco could hear Cheong tell Kwon that the soldiers had probably been to some brothel and were going back to base. Apparently, the men reeked of alcohol and cheap perfume. The ICON team stayed in the underbrush beside the road until the tire was changed and stowed and the new tire was in place. The brothers’ pitcrew efficiency pleased Greco. They managed to do the work in less than six minutes. With the tire changed, Greco and his men with their baggage were soon loaded back into the SUV and they continued their journey toward Hamhung. It was almost daylight – 0530 hours – before they saw any more people. They saw a small group of people wearing large straw hats. Greco asked Kwon. “What are those hats?” “Those are milchip-moja.” “They are what?” “They are milchip-moja. Most of the working women wear them to protect their eyes and face from the sun.”

“Oh, well, maybe we should be wearing those types of hats. It would cover our faces.” Kwon laughed with a healthy guffaw. “No, only the women wear those hats. You will be better wearing the wigs and the long-bill baseball caps.” Greco checked his GPS and noted they were traveling north-northeast toward the Sea of Japan. “What is the next village we come to?” Kwon spoke authoritatively. “The next town is Wonsan.” “Do you think that it is safe for us to travel in the daytime?” Cheong waved his hand and spoke. “No, once we through the village we will find a place where we can rest and continue the trip tonight.” Greco turned to Cheong. “Cheong, does your country have anything beside mountains and deep ravines?” “Not much. There are some small areas that are being farmed. However, most farms are on the hillsides. We’ve had drought and storms that have destroyed most crops for the last two or three seasons.” Kwon shouted and pointed to Cheong. “Look out!” Cheong swerved to the right and barely missed a school bus loaded with children. The southbound bus swerved to the right and avoided a head-on collision but the bus driver lost control of the bus. It went off the road and began to roll down into a deep ravine. Children spilled out of the bus as it rolled. They were like eggs falling out of a basket. The children were screaming, crying and

the injured were moaning and pleading for help. Not wanting to compromise the mission, they drove on toward the town of Wonsan. Greco had a soft place in his heart when it came to children. He demanded they stop the SUV in the dense undergrowth beside the road where they stowed their gear. Greco and his men hid in the brush while Kwon and Cheong returned to the accident. When Cheong stopped on the road above the accident, Kwon quickly jumped out and started down into the ravine toward the bus. Some children were very quiet, apparently dead, others were moaning, pleading for help and still others were asking for their moms or dads. Just as Kwon reached the bus, the driver stumbled out and collapsed. Kwon noted he had a cell phone. He quickly picked up the cell phone and called an operator stating the location where the accident occurred. He asked for ambulances, doctors, nurses and anyone who could help. He shut the cell phone off. He and his brother were able to get all the children left in the bus out of the vehicle. From their position on the road, the ICON team could not see below the side of the ravine. Leader One called Kwon on the two-way radio he had given him. “Full Moon can you hear me? Over. Silence. “Full Moon, do you copy?” “Yes, Leader One, I copy you, over.” “What’s the situation?” “It appears some are dead. The driver had a cell phone and we called an operator and asked for doctors, nurses, and ambulances and gave them the approximate area. Over.” “Good job, ‘Full Moon’ I copy. Over and out.” Kwon carried the two-way radios back to their vehicle and stowed them away. When he returned the brothers continued helping the injured and talking with

them to help calm the children. They were advising them that help was on the way. They encouraged those who could to pray and to keep talking to the most critically wounded. Leader One took his binoculars and began to focus on the area where the accident occurred. In the distance, he could hear the sirens of the approaching emergency vehicles. Greco watched every move of the brothers. Four of the fifteen children who were on the bus were deceased, eight were injured and three appeared uninjured. They moved these children away from the wreckage up toward the road. When Kwon checked the bus driver again, he was dead; at least when he checked his carotid artery he could not detect a pulse. He went over to the bus looking for something to cover the injured children and to keep them warm. He found several folded blankets used during the wintertime to help keep the occupants of the bus warm or to be used in case of an accident. Soon the wailing of sirens filled the air as police cars, army ambulances, doctors and nurses arrived. One doctor quickly checked the three uninjured children. On first examination, they appeared okay. However, the hospital would do a more thorough check. A military policeman began to question the three uninjured children. “What is your name?” “My name is Yu Fang. Yu Fang Kim.” “Yu Fang, how old are you?” “I am ten.” “Can you tell me what happened?” “Well, we are on a field outing from our girls’ school in Wonsan. Suddenly our bus started weaving and then our bus was rolling repeatedly. My sister. Is she all right?” “What is your sister’s name?” “Her name is Mi-Cha”

“Let me check and I will let you know soon. Go up to the road and I will come up there shortly.” Yu Fang climbed up to the road. They placed her in an ambulance. “What is your name?” “My name is Mi-Cha, Mi-Cha Kim.” “Okay, Mi-Cha, I am Dr. Khan and I want to check you for your injuries.” “My arm hurts.” Dr. Khan examined her arm talking all the time to soothe her fears. “You are a brave girl do you have any sisters on this trip with you?” As he gently examined her arm she screamed. “Ouch! That hurts.” “I’m sorry, Mi-Cha.” The doctor asked her a couple of questions. “Yes, I have a sister. Her name is Yu Fang.” “Oh, I examined her a few minutes ago and she appears okay.” “Ooh! My arm! I am glad my sister is okay. I was worried about her.” “Mi-Cha, your right arm is broken and I will have to place it on a board and bandage your arm to this board to prevent any movement of your arm. This will protect you from a compound fracture. It may hurt for just a few moments.” “What’s a compound fracture?” “That is a case where a bone is broken and the bone protrudes through the skin.” “Oh, well, I don’t want that to happen.”

The interns at the ambulances will give you something for your pain and I do not see any glass in your cuts and abrasions. You are so brave. Just a moment now.” Dr. Khan quickly applied the splint and bandaged the arm to the splint making the arm immobile. His assistants placed her on a stretcher and carried her up to the waiting ambulances. He turned to help other children. Soon the military policeman came up to the ambulance. “Yu Fang, I have good news. Your sister is alive but she has been injured. The doctors says she has a broken arm. They placed a splint and bandage on the broken arm. They have placed her on a stretcher and are carrying her up to the road, even as we speak.” “Oh, here she comes now. She is a brave little girl. How old is she?” “Oh, thank you, thank you! She’s eight years old.” Yu Fang climbed out of the ambulance and started to cry as she greeted her sister. “Mi-Cha, don’t worry. It’s going to be all right.” When Mi-Cha saw her sister, she started crying. Yu Fang gently kissed her sister on the forehead. Yu Fang, who was two years older than Mi-cha, was slender, always smiling and had beautiful brown-black eyes that sparkled when she talked. Despite the close age gap, she always tended to her younger sister in a motherly way. They placed Mi-Cha in one of the ambulances. There one of the medical interns istered a mild sedative to her and soon she was asleep. Yu Fang climbed back into the ambulance to be with her sister. “What is your name?” “My name is Ju-an, Ju-an Pak. I am eleven years old.” “Ju-an, can you tell me what happened?”

“My girlfriends and I were singing and clapping our hands. We were really having a good time and suddenly we were thrown against the seats in front of us, and the bus was rolling and suddenly I found my self outside the bus on the ground.” “You didn’t have your seatbelts fastened?” “What are seatbelts?” “They are restraining belts that keep you in your seat. For example, if you had your seat belt fastened you would not have been thrown out of the bus.” “But we don’t have seatbelts.” “Okay, Ju-an, do you have any sisters?” “Yes. I have three older sisters.” “I mean did you have any on the bus?” “Just one, Sissy. The others are home.” “Sissy? Is that her name?” “No, her name is Hae-Won Pak but everyone calls her sissy because she wants to be a big sister to all my friends. She’s bossy.” “She’s bossy?” “Yes, because she’s older she is always telling me and my friends what to do. Go do this. Go do that. Eat your food, make your bed, clean your room, and hang up your clothes!” Dr. Khan laughed. “I know what you mean, Ju-an, I had a big sister one time. Okay, Ju-an, someone will help you up to the road and place you in an ambulance for further evaluation at the hospital.” “Thank you.”

Dr. Khan moved to the next child. “My, what a pretty little girl. What is your name?” “My name is Sun-Hi and I am eight yrs old. I will soon be nine.” “Sun-Hi, did you have any sisters?” “Yes I have a baby sister, who is one-year-old, an older sister, and a brother who is fourteen.” “I mean on this bus?” “Yes, my sister.” “What is her name?” “Her name is Natalia Cho. She’s twelve.” “Okay, Sun-Hi, let me help you up to the road.” “I’m big. I can do it.” “You are a brave young girl and I will just ask Nurse Pak to climb up with you in case you slip or fall, okay?” “Okay.” “Hi Sun-Hi! I’m Nurse Pak and I will go up the hill behind you, in case you fall and I will catch you.” “That will be all right.” When Sun-Hi reached the road, she noticed four men with two stretchers with something covered on each stretcher. “What are those? Those are dead people, aren’t they?” “Yes, Sun-Hi, those children unfortunately didn’t make it.” “Who are they?”

“We won’t know that until we reach the hospital and we can somehow all the names.” “They have name tags don’t they, like mine? The teachers made all of us write our name on a tag and place it on a chain around our neck just in case we got lost and were found.” “Yes, I see your name tag, Sun-Hi. But during the accident some name tags were torn off and until we can check with the school’s director we won’t know all their names.” That seemed to satisfy Jetta and they placed her in an army ambulance with Yu Fang Kim, Juan Pak and Mi-Cha Kim. As this ambulance left for the medical center in Wonsan, another army ambulance arrived. Four interns arrived at the road with two more sheet-covered stretchers bearing bodies. They placed these two in the newly arrived army ambulance. They then placed the two other covered sheet stretchers in the ambulance and asked the army medical driver to wait until one more body could be brought up. It was an adult and the documents in his pocket read “Khan Cho, age fifty-six.” Two interns had placed his covered body on a stretcher and were climbing out of the ravine to reach the road. They placed his sheet covered stretcher into the ambulance with the other four children, closed the doors and the ambulance left.” Four hours had ed and Greco’s team had noticed there were two army ambulances. They were heading toward Wonsan and knew they were from the bus accident. Greco removed his GPS and took a reading on their location. Then he opened his wireless laptop and sent a message to the Washington brass. He gave them GPS coordinates and mentioned they were traveling by motor vehicle to Hamhung: Currently, because of a bus accident near Wonsan we placed ourselves in heavy underbrush beside the road and the guides had gone back to the accident, about two clicks behind us, to assist in the accident as the bus was loaded with children. It is 0900 hours. Like a routine, Greco then quickly tapped a message to his wife. All is going well. Hope you are getting over your ‘morning sickness’ and feeling

much better. Oh, before I forget I really, really like the gold chain and Saint Christopher medal. I love you. Are we going to have twins? Love, G. Greco was surprised to see Maria was on line. He decided to remain online for a couple of minutes. Maria, indeed, responded quickly: Hi Sweetie, I developed some pregnancy problems. I went back to doctor and he said nothing to be alarmed about, probably the stress of you leaving and me being in new surroundings. I do have good news. The doctor is positive it will be twins. He could detect two distinct heartbeats. He would know more in a couple of weeks. Take care, I love you. Dr. Khan, the interns and the nurses were working as rapidly as possible to attend to the injuries and transport them to the hospitals. The screaming had stopped. The most critically injured children were crying softly. Dr. Khan approached another little girl. “What is your name?” “My name is Vina Pak.” “Vina, you are how old?” “I’m ten years old.” “Okay, let’s look at that shoulder.” The doctor quickly recognized that the shoulder had been dislocated. He gently touched the girl’s right arm. “Hmmmmm… it is out of its socket. I know it is very painful. I will give you a shot that will help the pain to go away. It will make you a bit drowsy. In a few moments I will tape your arm to your body and then we will transport you to a hospital and they will set your shoulder.” He gave her a small dose of mild narcotic injection and then taped her arm to her body. She drifted off quietly. The interns placed her on a stretcher and gently carried her out of the ravine, up to the road and placed her in an army ambulance.

“My sister, where is my sister? Mister, have you seen my sister?’ “I’m Dr. Khan. What is your name?” “My name is Elysa Cho. Have you seen my sister?” “What is her name?” “Her name is Luiza Cho.” “Elysa, there have been several girls taken to the hospital in Wonsan. I suspect she has already gone to the hospital. Tell me where you hurt?” “When I take a breath, my side hurts and my neck hurts.” After a quick examination Dr. Khan determined she had cracked a couple of ribs and possibly had a fractured left collarbone. He suspected the hard breathing may be the result of a collapsed lung. The young girl would need X-rays at the hospital. “Okay, Elysa, you are so strong and brave. I am going to cut the side of your blouse and place some of this wide tape around your rib cage. It may hurt a little bit but you are strong. Right?” “Yes, I just had a birthday. Ouch, ooooh, that hurts!” “Sorry. How old are you?” “I’m ten years old. We had a birthday party at my school. We had cupcakes and ice cream. Ouch.” She reached up with her uninjured arm and wiped some tears rolling down her cheeks. The doctor stroked her cheek lightly. “Hang in there, Elysa. We are almost through taping your ribs.” The girl managed a weak smile. “Okay. I am being brave.” “There, Elysa. Let me get some men over here with a stretcher.”

“Okay.” “Can you breathe easier now?” “Yes, but it still hurts a little bit every time I take a breath.” The interns placed her gently on a stretcher and Dr. Khan gave her a small injection of a mild narcotic to ease the pain. Soon, she too was asleep. “Nurse Pak?” “Yes, Dr. Khan” “Check this little girl and I will help that one over there.” “Okay, Hi I’m Nurse Pak, what’s your name?” “I am Divina,” “What is your last name?” “Pak. I am Divina Pak and I have a sister, Vina Pak.” “Well you know what? Your last name is the same as mine. How about that?” “Okay, Divina, where do you hurt?” “My left hand. I can’t close it. Ooh! It hurts.” “Divina, it looks like you have some broken fingers.” Nurse Pak took some wood tongue depressors and gently placed them on her two broken fingers – the index and the middle digits – and taped her fingers to the makeshift splints. “So tell me, Divina, how old are you?” “I was seven yesterday but today I am eight years old. Elysa and I had birthdays yesterday.” “Oh, really! Is she your sister?”

“No, but we are good friends and we play together sometimes at school. We both like to jump rope. We play, I forget, what it is called. You know, you take some chalk and draw designs on the sidewalks and jump sometimes on one foot and sometimes with both feet and then you stop, stand on one foot and pick up a stone or a marble.” “Oh, you mean hopscotch?” “Yes, that’s what they call it.” Dr. Khan noted they still had four girls they had removed to the road. One of the interns brought some bottled drinking water. He opened a bottle and gave Dr. Khan a drink. “That’s exactly what I needed. This heat and humidity really saps your strength.” “Yes it does.” “I will check these other girls now.” Dr. Khan approached another little girl with dried blood streaking her face. She was obviously in shock. She sat with a vacant stare. She was stone silent. “Hi, I’m Dr. Khan. What is your name?” The little girl did not respond. Dr. Khan turned the tag around her neck over and read her name: “Ji-lin Chen.” After carefully examining her head, he removed some small fragments of glass. Wet sticky blood matted her hair. The wounds had almost stopped bleeding. They did not appear life threatening. He asked two of the interns to place her on a stretcher and carry her up to the road. The doctor moved to the next child. “Hi. I’m Dr. Khan. What is your name?” “My name is Zhang Cho.” “Zhang, let’s take a look at you. Where do you hurt?”

“I can’t move my left leg.” He took her pulse and noted a very fast rate. The racing pulse was not unexpected. However, he noted her face was pasty and grey. He broke the handle of two small brooms that had been ejected when the bus tumbled down the ravine. He gently placed a portion of the broom handle on each side of her left leg and taped them firmly in place to keep her leg as immobile as possible. On the back of her nametag he wrote: “Please check for possible internal injuries.” “Zhang, did you have any sisters on the bus?” “No.” “Are you related to the others on the bus who have the Cho name?” “No, we are friends and go to the same school.” “Okay, Zhang. These interns will put you on a stretcher and carry you up the hill to the ambulance.” “Thank you, doctor.” “Hi young lady, I am Dr. Khan.” Reaching out, Dr. Khan turned her nametag over. “Clarissa Kim? “Yes, I am Clarissa Kim.” “Let me look at your arm. It is badly lacerated.” With tweezers, he carefully picked some pieces of glass out of the wounds. “Clarissa, can you tell me what happened?” “When the bus started weaving back and forth and someone screamed we are going off the road. I threw my arms in the air and hands to cover my face and I hitting the window beside my seat. It was already cracked and I guess it fell out and cut me. Are the others okay?”

“Some do have injuries Clarissa. We do not know the extent of those injuries until they have been thoroughly examined at the hospital.” “Was anyone killed?” “Yes, Clarissa. There were some fatalities.” “Who?” “The only one I know was the bus driver.” “Oh, Mr. Cho was a nice old man. I am so sorry. He and his wife lived close to us. She is an invalid and sometimes we would take some of the sweets my mother would bake over to their home. My mother works in a bakery. Many times, some of the pastries my mother baked the day before she would bring home and then I would take some of them down to Mr. and Mrs. Cho. Oh, I am so sad.” “Yes, Clarissa, death is a very sad time. We should always the good memories. In every life, some rain must fall but it is the rain that makes things grow.” He paused for a second. A couple of tears trickled down Clarissa’s left cheek. “Are you able to walk?” “Yes, I think so. What do you mean some rain must fall and it makes things grow?” “Well, Clarissa, good and bad experiences come into our lives and knowing that life has good and bad experiences help us to cope or understand life.” “Nurse Pak, would you please help Clarissa up the hill?” The nurse took the girl by her left arm and as gently as possible helped her up the hill to the waiting ambulance. Dr. Khan turned his attention to the last little girl. She had a big smile on her face.

“Hi, Dr. Khan.” “Do you know me?” “Yes you were the doctor who delivered my baby brother and sister.” “Tell me your name again?” “Pei. Pei Chen.” “Oh, yes, I do you because your baby brother and sister, though they were born a year apart, both were born on the same Chinese New Year’s Day. Isn’t that right?” “Yes that’s right.” “Well, let’s look at those cuts and… Nurse Pak, bring me some more pieces of those broken bus seats. This little lady has a broken arm.” When the nurse arrived with the pieces of board from the broken bus seat, she helped Dr. Khan place the splint on Pei’s arm. The interns placed Pei on the stretcher and carried her up the ravine to the waiting army ambulances. A soldier was writing down the names of those who were able to talk and they would later the names against the school manifest of those on the bus trip. Leader One reached into his pack and pick up a special device used to magnify sounds and placed it in his ear. He could clearly hear the reports that Kwon and Cheong were giving to the military police when the last ambulance drove away from the scene to the Kim Chen hospital in Wonsan. The military police asked where they were going. Cheong spoke. “We are delivering this vehicle to Hamhung to a friend who is starting a taxi cab service in the town.” “What is your friend’s name in Hamhung?” “His name is Jong Pak.” “Why didn’t he drive the vehicle?”

“Because he had purchased two and he could only drive one. He paid me twohundred fifty-thousand won to deliver the car to Hamhung.” In currency conversion, the task would amount to just twenty-five American dollars. What is your name?” “My name is Cheong Jong Hwvan.” “Please give me your identification.” Cheong handed his documents to the military police officer.” He opened the documents and he read aloud his personal information: name, Cheong Jong Hwvan; date of birth,. 21-07-1967; height, one hundred sixty-five centimeters; weight, sixty kilograms; hair, black; eyes, brown; address, twothree-one Minnie Pei, Peace Village. “Thank you Mr. Cheong” and he handed back his documents. The officer now asked Kwon for his documents. Kwon handed his documents, which happened to be the forged papers. Again, the office read aloud his personal data: name, Kwon Hyok Pae; date of birth 155-1962; height, one-hundred-sixty-four centimeters; weight, fifty-six kilograms; hair, black; eyes, brown; address, two-three-one Minnie Pei, Peace Village. “Why do you both have the same address?” “We are brothers, and Peace Village is our ancestral home.” “Thank you, Kwon.” The officer handed Kwon his papers. “Will you please tell me what happened? Did you see the accident?” Kwon spoke first. “We were on our way to Hamhung and suddenly saw this bus appear around that

curve.” Kwon paused to point the curve out to the officer. “Apparently, he didn’t see us until the last moment. We were blowing the horn and at the last moment we swerved to the far right of the road and he swerved to the right. It look to me like he overcorrected and the bus began to sway and weave. It ran off the road and down into this deep ravine. We stopped and immediately ran to the edge of the road and saw the bus rolling over repeatedly and children tumbling out. As quickly as we possibly could we climbed down into the ravine to assist. By the time we got down to the bus, the driver had staggered from the vehicle and collapsed on the ground. He had a cell phone in his pocket. We used that cell phone to call the operator for help.” Throughout Kwon’s explanation, Cheong repeatedly nodded his head in agreement. Both men had placed their papers back into the small satchels they had slung on the shoulders. “Let me look at your vehicle.” Even before the trio walked back to the Hyundai, Kwon and Cheong had wisely shut off and stowed the two-way radios. This was done even before the first emergency medical vehicle arrived on the accident scene. The officer spent perhaps ten seconds inspecting the exterior of the vehicle. Intent on wrapping up the investigation, the officer quickly thanked the brothers for their cooperation and said they could continue on their way. The brothers waited until the officers had disappeared from their line of sight. Kwon activated his two-way radio. “Leader One, this is Full Moon. Do you copy?” “Yes, Full Moon, I copy.” “Leader One, we just left the accident scene. Since it is almost dusk maybe we should wait till after dark to pick you up. Over.” “Full Moon, that is good. We will stay in this position until you come. Over and out.”

Greco resumed his email routine. First, he sent a message to Washington: Bus accident delayed us the whole day. We are still several clicks outside Wonsan. Can’t leave location till dark. And, he turned his attention to Maria: Hi sweetie, do you know the old saying about Murphy’s Law? Whatever can go wrong will go wrong and it happened today. A bus loaded with children crashed, and our guides have been busy since early morning helping with the accident. We have been hiding a couple of clicks away in the underbrush. As soon as it is dark we will move out. My love forever. Greco sighed with momentary relief. Kwon and Cheong handled themselves well. The accident powerfully reminded him that no trivialities could be ignored. Despite the intense, exemplary preparation, even small details necessitated potentially profound contingencies. And, they had yet to enter Wonsan.

CHAPTER 9

T HE STAFF AT Kim Chen Hospital called all employees who were off duty to report immediately to work. The first ambulance carried the five deceased children and staffers placed the bodies into air-chilled chambers, and the coroner and his staff immediately began to examine the remains. They would check dental records, fingerprints from birth certificates as well as the nametags on the victims. Some of the bodies had been horribly mutilated suggesting the coroner and his staff faced a long, distressful night. The hospital tried unsuccessfully three times to reach the school’s principal, Roberta Kim who had been a long-time leader at the Mary Chen girl’s school. Finally, after two hours, the hospital representative ed the principal who said she would be there as soon as possible with the school records of all of those who were on the bus. The accident’s impact shocked the soft-spoken Kim: four girls and the driver were killed, eight others suffered injuries of varying degrees of severity, and three escaped injury altogether. The principal gathered the records of the fifteen girls and the staff file of the driver. She quickly decided that she would call the families from the hospital once she confirmed what had happened to each of the girls. She called her driver and asked him to have the school vehicle in front of her home as soon as possible. The black Mercedes Benz quietly slipped through traffic. All of the events had transpired in less than an hour. Kim did not wait for the driver to open her door. As soon as the vehicle pulled in front of the emergency department entry, she stepped out and walked directly into the door. The driver would wait as long as needed so he pulled into a parking space to the left of the building. Kim immediately went to the itting nurse’s station. Her demeanor was steeled efficiency but her face did not belie the tragic burden that had just been placed on her shoulders. Her facial muscles had tightened, lines of deep concern evident in her forehead. The nurse called for interns to escort her to an empty room in the trauma section. Several of the triage team entered and asked her for the names. One of the interns then escorted her to a small office so

she could begin notifying family . Yu Fang and Mi-Cha Lee’s mother was worried as the children should have been home before dark. The girls should have been home four hours earlier. She had just finished feeding the baby when her phone rang. She dropped the baby’s bowl when the principal identified herself. “There has been a terrible accident involving the girls. You need to come to the hospital as soon as possible.” As soon as she hung up the phone, the mother dressed the baby in her one-piece pajama suit, and left the baby with her fourteen-year-old sister and started the twenty-five minute drive to the hospital. The driver of the tricycle maneuvered through the light traffic. She paid the driver one hundred ten won and went into the hospital. At the front desk, she identified herself and a nurse showed her to the waiting room in the emergency department. She was the first parent to arrive. It was a few moments before Principal Kim went to the waiting room. “Mrs. Lee?” “Yes?” “I have good news and bad news.” “Oh, no! Are my girls all right?” “Mrs. Lee, I made a poor choice of words. Yu Fang has been thoroughly examined and she was not injured.” Dr. Lee Wong, chief of staff for psychology and counseling, entered the waiting room and introduced himself to the mother, who was trembling nearly uncontrollably. She was expecting the worst. “Yes, doctor?” “I have examined Yu Fang, and she has post-traumatic shock.” “Oh, is that dangerous?” “No, it is a normal occurrence after such tragedies. She does some

things such as the bus rolling down the hill but the human brain is a mysterious machine with the capacity to block out terrible accidents such as this. Most victims of tragic accidents do not what happen. However, your daughter did recall some major details of the accident. As time goes by, she may face some recurring nightmares. However, I suspect it will gradually fade away. If it continues to be a stressful condition please bring Yu Fang back to the hospital to see me.” The mother’s face brightened with relief. “I will do so. Thank you very much.” She rose and bowed deeply to Dr. Wong, who returned the gesture and left the room. The principal sat next to the mother. “She is in good spirits and she is excited about getting her friends to write on her cast. Mi-Cha suffered a broken left arm, some cuts and contusions. In a few weeks, you will need to bring her back to the hospital. They will re-examine the arm and, possibly, they will be able to remove the cast. That is providing it has healed properly, if not they may have to place another cast on the arm.” “I understand. Thank you.” “Oh, Mrs. Lee, the school will cover all of the expenses involved with the injuries.” After several attempts, Principal Kim was successful in reaching Hyudmila Kim’s mother. Kim was such a common name in the town but the families were not related. Like the others, she rushed immediately into the hospital. When Hyudmila’ mother arrived the itting nurse directed her to the emergency waiting room. The principal was telling each of the family the same thing: to keep their faith and to be strong and brave. It was now after seven p.m. and the news of the bus accident had reached the government-controlled radio and television media. A crowd of nearly thirty concerned parents and relatives was gathering in the hospital emergency waiting room. Principal Kim was still encouraging the parents to be strong and brave.

Even in the midst of this terrible accident, they would keep the faith and overcome this tragedy. The principal had positioned herself so she could see who entered the room and as soon as Hyudmila Kim’s mother arrived, she excused her self, asking the nurse to call Dr. Khan and went to Ms. Kim. In a few moments Dr. Khan came into the waiting room and went immediately to Principal Kim and Hyudmila’s mother. Together they took Ms. Kim to a room that had been set up for the deceased children and the bus driver. Curtains in that room separated the deceased. Ms. Kim started crying, wanting to know why was she being separated from the other parents. The hospital staff had turned the room’s thermostat to the lowest level to provide maximum cooling for the bodies. Screens were set up to give each family some privacy as the bereaved viewed the remains of their loved ones. Window shades were closed and indirect lighting completed the subdued effect of the makeshift morgue. Family for each deceased person were allowed separately into the room. A grief therapist and hospital psychiatrists also were on hand to help family cope with their grief. Dr. Khan’s professionalism was tempered with the gentle familiarity of a parent who should never have to experience with the worst imaginable news. “Ms. Kim, we had some fatalities from the accident and we need to make sure we have the proper identification for each child. Even though the children all wore name tags, some of them were torn off during the accident and, as difficult as it is, we do need to each child.” Her voice was muffled with a low-moaning cry. And, then she composed herself after a few seconds. “I understand. I only have one child, nine-year-old Hyudmila.” Dr. Khan pulled the sheet from the covered body down to the shoulder level. “Ms. Kim, is this your daughter?” Ms. Kim looked into the bruised, swollen face of her daughter. She opened and closed her mouth several times but no sounds came from her mouth. Finally she allowed a groan and then she stifled a scream as hot tears streamed down her face and she nodded. The jagged slash across the deceased’s left jugular confirmed the terrible circumstances. “Yes.”

The principal motioned to the doctor who immediately grabbed some smelling salts to ease the hyperventilation the grieving mother was experienced. Once she grabbed her breath, she stomped and screamed at a piercing level. “She was my only daughter. I have raised her by myself. Her father stepped on a land mine that had been planted in the early fifties. He was accidentally killed eight years ago and now this. What will I do? I have nothing to live for. I will never have grandbabies. I don’t want to live!” Ms. Kim was so extremely distraught she collapsed. Dr. Khan called two orderlies and a ed nurse and told them to take her to a private room and give her a sedative. They carefully placed Ms. Kim in a hospital bed, pulled the side railing up and left the room. They would return in a few hours to see how she was doing. The staff had been strained because of the widespread severity of the accident. The immediate need to attend to the injured children generated a controlled state of chaos that teetered on the brink of an unmanageable frenzy. Four hours had ed when the nurse went in to check on the mother. She screamed and others rushed into the room where the mother had taken the bed sheet, torn it into strips, braided a crude rope and hung herself from the bed railing. One of the doctors thought she probably died perhaps within twenty minutes of being discovered. The orderlies removed the crudely fashioned rope and placed the mother’s body on a gurney to be wheeled into the air-chilled chamber where her daughter’s body had just been examined by the coroner. Principal Kim sent her driver to pick up Mrs. Khan, the deceased bus driver’s wife. When he arrived at her home, he went to her door and knocked. A feeble voice asked. “Who is it?” “I am the driver for Principal Kim of the girl’s school. May I come in?” “Yes, the door is unlocked. Come in.” He entered the room and noted that Mrs. Khan lay on a hospital-type bed in the small simple two-bedroom home. When the principal’s driver entered the room

he noticed a makeshift port-a-potty on one side of the bed with a plastic bag attached at the bottom that her husband apparently had made. On the wall hung a portrait of a young couple dressed in wedding apparel. He excused himself momentarily to get the wheelchair from the car. He spoke calmly. “Mrs. Khan, Principal Kim sent me to get you and take you to the hospital. There has been a bus accident.” The widow sounded resigned to the news. She showed no emotion. “Yes, I heard it on the radio.” “Okay, let me help you. I will need to get a wheelchair from the car. We keep one there for some of the students. I will be right back.” The driver quickly returned with the foldable wheelchair, moved it into position, locked the wheels and let down the side rail on Mrs. Khan’s bed. Then carefully lifting the fragile woman, whom he guess weighed less than thirty-five kilos (about eighty pounds), from the bed, he placed her into the wheelchair and fastened the safety belt. He turned down the footrest and then pushed the tiny woman out to the car. “Mrs. Khan, where did you get your hospital bed?” “Two years ago, they were upgrading the hospital beds and my dear husband worked hard and saved enough money to purchase one of the beds they were discarding. He always cranked it up for me so I could sit up during the day.” “That’s a very nice bed.” “Yes and I rest so much better than before when I slept on a mat. This muscular dystrophy is so crippling and painful.” “I’m sure it is. How long have you have been ill?” “Since I turned nineteen. I used to be very active in sports. One night after several months of active training for the Olympics, I woke up in the night with cramps and pains in my legs and arms.” She paused. The driver was impressed by how talkative and how animated she

became. “I went through a long period of testing. At first, they diagnosed the problem as rheumatoid arthritis because I had some swelling in my ts. Then, they placed me in a hospital to further study the situation. The doctors finally decided that it was the onset of muscular dystrophy.” Again, she paused, as much to see what the driver’s reaction was as a moment to catch her breath. She seemed oddly strong in her tone. “That ended my career, hopes and dreams of making it into the Olympics. They treated it with herbs. Later a Chinese doctor, who specialized in acupuncture, came and treated me but when our funds were exhausted, the treatments stopped. After the birth of my two sons it seemed to grow worse each month and, in a few years – or at least by the time I was thirty-five – it had forced me into a bed.” The widow was a paradigm of composure. The driver, perplexed at finding the right response, could only manage the simplest of empathetic statement. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear of your problem.” She nodded weakly. “Well, my sons grew up, married and left home. My dear, sweet husband patiently cared for me. He was so kind and gentle.” They reached the car. The driver seemed more comfortable with the motions necessary to put her into the car. “Now let me lift up the footrests and I will help you into the seat.” He raised the footrest, and then he gently helped Mrs. Khan into the back seat of the automobile and closed her car door. At the hospital, the orderlies took charge of moving Mrs. Khan into her chair. Dr. Khan and the principal greeted her. After a few words and the principal’s now well-rehearsed gestures expressing sympathy for the loss of a loved one, Mrs. Khan was wheeled into the morgue to identify positively the remains of her husband. The doctor moved back the sheet, again to shoulder level on Mr. Khan’s body. The principal and the doctor helped the widow to her feet, and she gazed at her

husband’s face for about four seconds. The silence seemed to unnerve the principal a bit but the widow stood resolutely and, without a tear in sight, told the doctor the remains were that of her husband. She stroked his cheek slightly. “He was a kind and loving man. He had recently been having problems with his heart. I will our two sons. May I have his ring?” It was as if she had rehearsed the moment. The principal turned to her. “Sure. I didn’t know that you had two sons, Mrs. Khan?” “Yes and they live here in Wonsan. I will them.” Dr. Khan interrupted. “Mrs. Khan, I do not find a ring.” “Oh, I can’t lose that ring. He was so proud of it. He received it in Beijing at the commencement ceremony.” This was the first emotion that the widow had shown. The doctor gently pressed her right hand. “We will send some volunteers back to the accident site and have them look for the ring. Will that be all right?” “Yes, that is greatly appreciated. The ring is all that I have left of him.” The principal leaned over and gave Mrs. Khan a light kiss on the cheek and a hug. The young orderly once again covered the dead husband’s remains with the sheet, helped the widow back into her chair, and they left the cool morgue. The driver greeted the orderly at the door and then helped Mrs. Khan into the car. When the driver met the widow at home, she seemed animated, eager to share her story but the driver was at a loss to find the right thing to say to the woman, who sat composed and silent, a poignant portrait of solemnity and sorrow. Hang Chen of Wonsan, the government-appointed coroner, had arrived earlier at the hospital. A slender middle-aged man, possibly forty to forty-five-years-old, he had served in his post for the past eight years. He donned his gown, facemask and the head covering which had an adjustable light positioned conveniently for

focus. Then after thoroughly washing his hands with disinfectant he put on his surgical rubber gloves. In his eight years as state coroner, he thought this was the worst accident involving small children he had seen. A temporary morgue was set up hastily and he had begun his duties almost instantaneously. The families of the deceased left after they had identified the bodies. They placed the bodies in the large air-chilled chamber, where the autopsies would be performed. His first was on the remains of Mr. Khan, the bus driver, not only to determine his cause of death and but to explain possibly any forensic evidence that could have triggered the accident. He weighed the remains and dutifully recorded the weight as sixty-three kilograms (one hundred thirty-nine pounds), and height one hundred sixty three centimeters (five feet, five inches). Dr. Chen made the thoracic cut and opened the chest cavity. He carefully examined the heart and the lungs. He found no blood clots and he found nothing out of the ordinary for a properly functioning heart. The heart was slightly enlarged but not an anomaly given the man’s age and general state of health. Mr. Khan had never missed a day of work, had never been late nor had he complained of any symptoms whatsoever. The doctor continued his search for the cause of death. He opened the abdominal cavity and removed the viscera. He placed all the viscera in a small plastic bag. He examined both femorals and found no blood clots. He then placed the small bag of viscera back in the abdominal cavity. The final stage of the autopsy arrived. He gently peeled back the skin covering the cranium and then he used his Gigili saw – a simple flexible sharp wire with handles attached on each end that he pulled back and forth in a sawing motion. He quickly opened the skull as he removed the skullcap and he noticed blood draining onto the table. He removed the brain and found the cause: brain aneurysm. It was a rupture of the posterior cerebral artery. It was massive enough to cause not only a stroke, but also death instantaneously. An attending intern recorded all of Dr. Chen’s comments. Dr. Chen then performed autopsies on the four deceased children. Two died from a broken neck. The bone had severed their spinal cords. The other two died apparently when the bus rolled over and crushed them with overwhelming impact. The coroner concluded that all of them died instantly.

The principal continued to call the parents. She would not finish until the first streaks of light arrived in the dawn. She called her assistant principal and asked him to announce the school would be closed for the next two days to memorialize the victims of the accident. School would resume the following Monday.Chapter 10 “L EADER ONE TO Full Moon.” “Come in, Full Moon.” “Leader One, this is Full Moon.” “Full Moon, what is the status of the situation?” “All victims have been removed and placed in ambulances and the soldiers have left. We are still here pretending to have some car trouble. We are waiting for the soldiers to leave before we move. Over.” “Sounds good to me, Full Moon. We have been watching the ambulances and vehicles ing by on the way into town.” “Yes sir, it is pretty bad. The bus driver is deceased, as are four of the children. The rest are in fair shape, a few broken bones, cuts and abrasions but it appears nothing is life threatening.” “Well, at least we helped and that’s important. Over.” “Over and out, Leader One” It was almost an hour before Greco heard an approaching automobile. It was Kwon and Cheong and they were approaching very slowly before stopping. Greco and his men quickly moved out of the underbrush and loaded their gear into the SUV. Sgt. Wesley’s backpack was slightly unzipped, just enough that a small jar of the betel nut face cream Greco had purchased in D.C. fell unnoticed into the ditch beside the road. Once loaded into the SUV they were soon northbound. As they drove past the Kim Chen hospital, they saw many people gathered around the entrance of the hospital, having expanded from thirty to now nearly one hundred people. They drove through Wonsan without incident and they

found a small fishing village just north of the city. They found an abandoned building that appeared if it had been a storage facility for large equipment. They placed their gear inside and pulled the SUV behind the building out of sight of the road, about fifteen yards out just enough to still see the movements clearly. They opened their bedrolls, tapped some army-issued rations, ate in silence, and rested for a few hours. Greco sent encrypted messages to the Washington team. “Left scene of accident, ed through Wonsan currently near a small fishing village north of Wonsan. We will continue at 0300.”

* * *

Meanwhile, the principal secured ten volunteers and they returned to the accident scene early in the morning to search for Mr. Khan’s ring. Principal Kim told the volunteers the army bus would be back sometime in the afternoon, around four p.m. The accident scene was not confined to a readily searchable area and ittedly the probabilities for the finding the ring were small at best. They searched all morning and found nothing. The volunteers had eaten their packed lunches and, in the middle of the afternoon, weary and tired, the volunteers decided to walk back toward town. The afternoon sun was bright and hot as the volunteers walked along the road for about twenty minutes. They had walked about two kilometers when one of the volunteers, Jon Kim Il, noticed the sun reflecting a small shiny object beside the road. As he drew closer, he noticed that it was a jar with a gold tinted lid and picked it up. He had studied English at the government-run Kim Il-Sung University in Pyongyang in hopes of becoming a translator for the government. The small bottle of dark brown cream intrigued him and the writing on the bottle intrigued him even more. It read: “Original Formula, Fine Face & Body Creams, Especially blended for Neiman Marcus Stores, Manufactured in the USA.” The opposite side of the label was torn and only one ingredient was legible. It was seven percent betel nut oil. He stuck the small jar into his pocket and continued toward Wonsan. Shortly, an army bus came by and picked up the volunteers. Jon Kim Il said nothing about the jar he found.

When he arrived home, he placed the small jar on the table, sat down in the only chair in his apartment and stared at the jar. In his mind, he conjured up many scenarios. Maybe, some of the children’s relatives in the United States had sent some things including this jar. Let’s check that out. Jon Kim Il dragged pensively on his cigarette. Could it be that a spy dropped the jar? Why would a spy need a jar of brown face and body cream? He could hardly sleep. He tossed repeatedly in bed running through all of the possible scenarios. After a solid two hours, he sat up, excited as if someone had discovered a technological breakthrough. That’s it! Someone was using it to make their skin darker or to cover some blemishes. Well, I will take it to the authorities in the morning. Satisfied that he had solved the mystery, he fell into a deep sleep and dreamed he was chasing a spy all over the mountains of the People’s Republic. The next morning, he awoke even before the cock crowed, ate his meager breakfast of rice and a small piece of fish left over from his evening meal the night before. He bathed with a sponge, dressed and was at the local police station at 0700hours. He talked with the police registrar, who signed him in and told him there was one person ahead of him to talk with the police chief. It was another thirty minutes before they called his name. He initialed beside his name when called, formally signifying he had a meeting with the police chief. He walked into the police chief’s office and set the gold tinted lid jar on the desk. The chief picked up the jar, scanned the label on the jar, and opened it. The contents had a pleasing fragrance. The chief took a small cotton swab, dipped it into the mixture in the jar and rubbed it on his finger that became noticeably darker. He dabbed the spot with some water but the stain remained. “Mr. Jon Kim Il, where did you find this jar of material?” “Yesterday, sir. We were out at the school bus accident site searching for the bus driver’s ring and instead of waiting for the bus to come pick us up, several of us started to walk back into town. I had walked about two kilometers from the accident scene when I noticed this shiny object near the edge of the road.”

“Can you show me exactly where you found this jar?” “Yes, I can show you.” “Okay, let me send it to our police laboratory and we will go check the area where you found this jar.” Within the hour, the police chief, two of his officers, a driver and Jon Kim Il were at the site where he had picked up the jar. They searched the area and noted a spot greatly disturbed away from the edge of the road, about eight meters back where the grass was matted down in a spot much larger than what would be expected for an animal. It appeared that someone or something had crushed the grass and plants. The chief’s assisting officer jotted every detail he announced. He told the others that apparently several individuals spent several – perhaps two or three – hours breaking small limbs and damping down some of the dense brush in the area. He noted it was almost like a person or persons were hiding and observing someone or something but taking great care to not be seen. He did notice the location of the strange jar and from that spot, one could clearly see the point at which the bus had gone over the embankment. The chief told the others that it was possible that the persons at this spot had caused the accident and were observing the impact. The search lasted about forty-five minutes. The police chief advised Jon Kim Il that he would apprise him of the outcome of the lab tests – a classic brushoff. After Jon Kim Il left his office, the police chief ed Dr. Chen, the coroner, and received the report that the bus driver had died of a brain aneurysm. With that lead removed, he then called the DMZ army garrison. “General Kimchen’s office. May I help you? This is Sergeant Chin Lee speaking.” “Yes, this is the police chief in Wonsan. “Yes, sir. How may we help you?” “Sergeant, two days ago we had a terrible bus accident in which several children were killed as well as the bus driver, and yesterday some volunteers were looking for items lost in the wreck and one of the volunteers found an unusual jar of face and body cream.”

“Well, what’s so unusual about a jar of face cream?” “Well, what’s so unusual is this jar of face cream came from a store called Neiman Marcus in the United States. The jar of cream appears to have been recently purchased. One can see that the sun had not yet faded the lettering on the jar and the contents are still soft and moist. It is like a skin stain.” “Really, that’s interesting. Hold on to the jar.” “Not only that, but also an area near where the jar was found had small tree limbs and brush broken down. The crushed grass makes me believe that a person or persons had spent several hours in that area wanting to observe someone or something. However, this person or persons did not want anyone to see them while they observed the accident. I thought that perhaps some of the children on the bus had someone, maybe relatives, in the U.S. who had sent the jar to their family. However, I checked with the girl school’s principal and she thought that it was highly unlikely that any of the girls would have relatives in the United States.” “All of this information is indeed very significant. I will advise General Kimchen. He is in a meeting for about another hour. I will have him call you. Thank you, chief.” It was four-thirty p.m. when the police chief’s phone rang. It was General Kimchen advising the police chief that he was sending two men from the garrison to pick up the jar and take it to the army laboratory for examination. He also asked the chief to be prepared to take his men to the area where they found the jar and the brush was disturbed.

* * *

It was 0300 hrs when Greco awakened the group, and in the dark they rolled up their sleeping bags, loaded their gear and jumped into the SUV. Cheong shook Greco’s hands warmly.

“Greco, I want to thank you for the comion you have shown to my people.” “That’s okay, Cheong. We have comion for people wherever they are when they hurt or are in pain, regardless of race, color or creed. We are as much a force of humanitarianism and we are of military purpose.” They drove on toward Hamhung in the darkness. It was almost daylight when they approached the town of Yonghung. They found a heavily wooded area and Greco and his team again went into the heavy underbrush to wait until dark. Cheong and Kwon drove into town and filled the SUV with fuel. They ate kimchi jjiage (a stew), jja jang myun (black Bbean noodles)and dduk bok kie (spicy rice cake) at a restaurant, selected a small boarding house and spent the day sleeping and resting. Toward evening, Cheong and Kwon went out to a little restaurant to eat. When they finished the evening meal, they returned to the SUV. As they started back toward Wonsan, Kwon called. “Leader One, this is Full Moon.” “Leader One, this is Full Moon. Do you copy?” “Full Moon, this is Leader One. I do copy.” “Leader One, we are headed toward you now. It should be a few minutes. We will drive past you, turn around and come back.” “Sounds good. Full Moon, we will be ready. Over and out.” It was dark when Kwon and Cheong picked up the four men waiting beside the road. They stowed their gear and quickly lay down in the back of the SUV. Cheong and Kwon drove unchallenged through the little town of Yonghung and out onto the road toward Hamhung. Greco spoke. “Men, I think from here on until the mission is complete we should all use our code names especially on the radio, in case anyone should happen to break in on our radio conversations. So again let me reiterate our code names. “Kwon is ‘Full Moon.’

“His brother Cheong is ‘Blue Moon.’ “Sergeant Wesley is ‘Ice Man.’ “Sergeant Erick is ‘Icicle.’ “Sgt. Billy John is ‘Freezer.’ “And, I am ‘Leader One.’ “If anyone has problems or runs into difficulty or trouble of any type we will use the term ‘Smoke’ and then identify the area. Is this understood?” They replied in unison in acknowledgement. “When the term ‘smoke’ is used, all of us need to be listening, thus cutting down on individual calls. Okay, men, while Cheong continues driving I suggest we all get some sleep. We have several full days of action ahead of us and due to the bus accident we have lost already too much valuable time.” It was 0400 hours when Kwon awakened the men. “We have ed through Hamhung. We know of a little forest that has heavy underbrush and you men should be safe there until we deliver this SUV to Cheong’s friend. In the forest is a small lake. Hide near the lake, maybe on the far side, so looking back you could see anyone approaching from the road.” Leader One smiled a bit approvingly and a bit skeptically. Kwon sure seems to know this area well. Almost as if he had planned it before we arrived. The men got out and walked away from the road toward the lake. Cheong and Kwon drove back into Hamhung to deliver the SUV. Before they delivered the car to Cheong’s friend, they thoroughly checked it for any telltale signs – even small bits of identifying residue – of other occupants. Greco and his men reached the far side of the lake and sat down to eat an MRI. When they finished eating, they buried all trash and evidence. Meanwhile, Sergeant Wesley took all the items out of his pack, turned it upside down, shook

it, repacked it, and then removed all of the items once again. Greco sounded impatient. “Sergeant Wesley, what’s the problem?” “Well, Sir, I cannot find my goddamn jar of skin pigment cream.” “What happened?” “Well, when we sat down here I noticed my backpack was partially unzipped. It looked like a part of the seam was caught in the zipper and it didn’t completely close when I zipped it.” “Do you the last time you had the jar?” “After you gave me the jar I placed it in my bag and when we stopped for the bus accident I applied some cream to my arms and elbows and thought while we were stopped here I would apply more to other areas of my body.” “Okay, men. All of you. Check your backpacks. Perhaps one of you picked up his jar along with your own.” The jar was missing. Greco sounded even more impatient. “Damn it, Sergeant Wesley. Are you absolutely sure that was the last time you had the cream?” “Yes, Sir! The last time I having the face cream was when Cheong and Kwon went back to help the children involved in the bus wreck. I was rubbing some on my arms and elbows. I’ve traced my thoughts again and again and I, swear to God, I haven’t seen the fucking cream since then.” “Well, we will wait until Kwon and Cheong return. Hopefully it fell out in the SUV and they found it.” It was shortly after daybreak when Kwon and Cheong arrived at Jong Pak’s home. He invited them in for some fish and rice. They visited with him until mid afternoon. He paid Cheong his one hundred fifty thousand won for delivering the SUV and then offered to drive them to the train depot. He thanked them again at

the depot and left. The two men stood around for a while and then sauntered away from the depot and out to the road walking out of town in the direction of their friends waiting by the lake. As they neared the forest, Kwon turned on his radio. “Leader One, this is Full Moon.” Silence. “Leader One, this is Full Moon. Do you copy?” “Full Moon, this is Leader One. Go ahead.” “We have entered the forest. Keep looking until you see us.” “We are watching.” It was dusk when they rendezvoused. Greco’s voice was urgent. “Did you men thoroughly search the SUV?” “Yes, we did.” “Did we leave anything in the vehicle?” “No sir we even rubbed it down inside in case someone wanted to check the SUV for fingerprints. Why?” “Iceman lost his jar of face cream. He had the cream before the bus accident. He noticed earlier today that one of his zippers on his bag was not fully shut. We spent most of the day retracing our steps from here to up close to the road. We found nothing.” “Is it a big container?” “No.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a small jar with a gold tinted lid. It was about the size of a cold cream jar maybe a little larger. On the side of the jar,

these words were stamped: “Original Formula, Fine Face & Body Creams, Especially blended for Neiman Marcus Stores, Manufactured in the USA.” “Full Moon itted it could cause a serious problem but as small as the jar was it would probably never be noticed.” Leader One was uneasy and then threw up his arms in futility. “No use in crying over spilled milk. I’m probably worried about nothing. Men, once again, let me remind you that the margin for error is nonexistent. I want us all to go home exactly as we came. I don’t want any of us to go home in body bags.” In fact, Leader One was worried, more than in any other mission he had ever carried out in the service of his country. He kept thinking about an Old Testament Scripture: That it was the little foxes that spoiled the vines. Nevertheless, he never betrayed his confidence. His façade signaled that it was perhaps nothing more than an inconsequential loss. They discussed their next move. After dark, they would walk back toward the narrow gauge railway they had traveled across just after leaving Hamhung. It was about two clicks to the railway. They had hoped to get on the train and ride it near their first stop: Chongjin. Hopefully, Murphy’s Law had exhausted its effects.

CHAPTER 11

I T WAS 0900 hours when Jon Kim-Il’s phone rang. “Hello.” “This is Police Chief Jon Chen. Who’s speaking?” “This is Jon Kim-Il.” “Are you the one who brought a small jar of face cream into our office two days ago and then took me to the location where you found the item in question?” “Yes, I am.” The police chief was guarded in his words for obvious reasons. “We checked it out and it was nothing. It has been determined it belonged to one of the girls on the bus. Thank you for your help.” The chief hung up and the phone rang immediately. “General Kimchen here at the DMZ army garrison. May I speak urgently to the police chief?” “I am the police chief. How may I help you, General?” “Are you the one who called our office and had us picking up that partially used jar of face cream two days ago?” “Yes, sir. Why do you ask?” “Our labs examined the contents of the jar and believed someone other than the children on the school bus was carrying that product. Some of my men said there were two men in a new SUV parked by the side of the road near the bus accident that they claimed they were delivering to a friend in Hamhung. For your information, we have the name and address of the two men driving the SUV.

They appear to be whom they say they are. They live in Freedom Village and they are, indeed, delivering a SUV to a friend in Hamhung. We have his name and address and we did confirm the delivery of the SUV to him.” “Where did the two men go?” “We are not sure but we are checking that out even as we speak. Wait a moment. There is some information coming in on the Teletype. It says that Jong Pak who lives in Hamhung ordered and received the SUV and that he took both men to the train station to catch the train back to Peace Village.” “I understand that, General. However, this jar was found one or two kilometers away from the bus accident.” There were a couple of seconds of silence. “Well, they could have thrown it out after they left the bus accident. However, after the lab report came back we had a special closed-door meeting of the Korean army personnel. It was determined in that meeting that cream like this would only be used if some person or persons were trying to make their skin darker because sixty-nine percent of the jar’s contents was Betel Nut stain. It is a type of face cream used to stain the skin. Perhaps, a cream used by an actor or someone on television to make their skin darker.” The police chief picked up the cue. “Right. Maybe something that a spy or spies would use to themselves off as Korean.” “That’s a good thought, Chief. As a matter of fact, many reasons have been discussed as to why someone would have this staining type of face cream. They also noted the jar was recent as all labeling on the jar was crisp and clear. The sun had not yet faded the labeling or tainted the contents of the jar indicating that the container had not been lying in that place very long.” The General paused for a moment and continued. “The consensus was that it had been there a few hours or a day at most. Following that meeting, we immediately alerted all military personnel to check carefully all people at border crossing checkpoints. We have taken

pictures of the small jar and have faxed copies to all military locations. There, is a strong possibility that spy or spies have crossed our borders.” On the other end, the police chief smiled with a sense of satisfaction. The general continued meanwhile. “We are sending you a picture of the small jar. Please post it on your ‘wanted board.’ Thank you once again.” The general concluded the call and hung up. Like many of his colleagues, the police chief was trained to treat every innocuous sign or residue that even seemed slightly out of place in the tightly controlled landscape as proof positive that someone or some group was intent on gathering evidence about the nation’s secret nuclear research program. Acutely aware of the difficulties in sustaining a uranium enrichment program, the nation’s police powers readily assumed that spies would be somewhere in this nation. Even now, it would have been hard to conceive of the nation’s military guards redoubling their efforts to ensure that unauthorized personnel would not gain access to any of the veiled research facilities. Credential checks were as rigorous as they could be in a statecontrolled enterprise. The police chief already knew that the General would urgently dispatch four thousand soldiers to reinforce security at the universities, mining facilities, and nuclear facilities in Chongjin. Leader One was just as worried about that small jar.Chapter 12 I T WAS DARK when the ICON team moved out from its resting place to start the trek toward Chongjin. It was still many clicks to these facilities and the men moved toward the railways. It was shortly before midnight when they reached the railways. Kwon leaned down and placed his ear on the iron rails, listening intently. He estimated that the train would be moving slow enough to catch because of the steeply graded curve the train was navigating. He told Greco and his team, “We should be able to board the train with very little problems.” Soon the slow moving narrow-gauge train approached the curve and started up the steep incline. It was going so slow that one could almost walk faster than the train was moving. The train had two locomotives, pulling and pushing, as well as tanker cars marked with universal symbols for toxic and poisonous materials. The manifest included several cattle-type boxcars with several hundred soldiers

inside them. Hitched to the boxcars were enger cars crying Korean Army generals and officers. Greco noticed the military uniforms. The length of train, well more than one hundred cars, impressed iceman. “When I was growing up, we lived near the railroad tracks and we kids would sit on some of the limbs of trees nearby and count boxcars. We would bet a nickel on which train was the longest and the loser had to buy the Cokes. They were only a dime each at the little country store.” Freezer smiled and nodded. “We did, too. I guess it is a small world.” Leader One brought his crew back into focus. “Okay, men. We are near the end of the train so scatter yourselves along the track and when you get on the train, move as quietly as possible, to the roof. I noticed some of the cars have a railing around the top so they should be easy to hang on.” Kwon and Cheong got on first, followed by Freezer, Icicle, Iceman and, finally, Leader One. Leader One had just stepped aboard the slow-moving train when the back door of the caboose opened and a general stepped onto the platform to smoke a cigar. He looked back through the caboose glass and saw no one coming so he stuck his cigar in his mouth and lit it. He unzipped his tros and relieved himself over the caboose’s back rail. Greco could hear the man engaged in his own childish interior monologue. The cigar-smoking general apparently was musing loudly to no one in particular about an American TV commercial; the one about how does one spell relief. The general farted as he finished pissing and zipped his tros. The five-star general – the highest-ranking officer on the train – repeated his bit of flatulence and belched before lighting his cigar once again. He was in his late fifties, wore simple black eyeglass frames, and stood five feet, nine inches tall. He never removed his hat except as necessary because he was balding and a little paunch from years of beer drinking was beginning to expand a bit more rapidly. He was startled when he caught in his eye the form of another man on the platform. “Who are you? This is a military expedition. These last twenty-five cars are only for officers and the military.

“I’m not an officer,” Greco said in his best-polished Korean dialect. “Soldier, you are out of uniform. What do you think you are doing wearing long hair and a baseball cap? I will have you busted all the way to private. You have ten minutes to get into your proper uniform and report to me. I am two cars ahead of the caboose.” The general had barely got out the last word before Leader One reached out and slashed his throat, cutting through the larynx, windpipe and both jugulars. The general’s eyes displayed pure terror as he opened his mouth. However, the only sound was a huge sucking whoosh, the desperate last signal of the man’s lung gasping futilely for air. His eyes grew large and with each heartbeat both jugulars pumped out his fading life. The general kept reaching for his throat as though he was trying to loosen his shirt collar. His lips were moving but no sound came forth. He finally slumped over the railing and then Leader One just picked up his feet and pushed the general onto the railroad tracks. The train lumbered forward to Chongjin. Leader One sent out one word on his radio. “Smoke.” He scrambled up the caboose’s roof. No sooner had he reached the roof than another officer stepped out on the caboose’s platform. “General… General? Where are you?” It may have been a military expedition but the officers were imbibing freely. It was not unusual to assume that perhaps the missing general, inebriated, had accidentally tumbled overboard. The officer staggered back into the caboose and pulled the emergency line to stop the train. Meanwhile, Leader One warned the group to lie still on the roofs of the cars. The train, which had been moving about forty-five kilometers per hour, soon came to a screeching halt. The other generals on the train – at least those who were sober or who thought they were sober – decided to back the train up to see what had happened to General Lin Chen. They needed to issue orders to the trains’ engineers to back the train up, handled by a three-star officer who had come out to the platform.

When Leader One had moved closer to his men he addressed each one of them via his radio and told them he had just cut some general’s throat and threw his body over the caboose rail. He felt that it would be better for them to get off the train now while it was coming to a halt and hide in the thick brush along the track. When the narrow gauge train had backed up past them, the team would slowly disperse and move forward. When the train started up again and began to them they would get back on the train, again one at a time. Apparently, the officer’s car had a phone connection with the train’s engineers. They told them one of their general’s apparently had fallen over board. It was General Lin Chen. As the train edged back slowly, Greco and his team along with Cheong and Kwon got off the train. The sides of the railroad tracks had numerous Gymnasperm species which include firs, pines, spruces, and ginkgo biloba which was indigenous to the country’s mountainous areas. The rhus, in particular like a sumac, grew profusely low to the ground and gave enough brush cover to hide the ICON team. They could see several Korean officers getting off the train and carrying flashlights. They started to walk back – about three kilometers – down the track from the train. The large lamp on the caboose was strong enough to illuminate fully the track line, making the flashlights unnecessary. They had walked down the tracks three or four clicks when Greco and his men heard shouting. An officer discovered the body. “We have found him. His throat has been cut. He is dead.” Another said, after a quick inspection of the remains. “It’s not an accident. It’s murder. Someone has killed him.” The other ten officers and some fifteen soldiers gathered around the body, laughing and drinking, until one officer who apparently had not been drinking walked up, and saw General Lin Chen. “Someone definitely killed him. Apparently someone who didn’t like the General. Who will help me carry him to the train?” With the General’s remains placed back on the train and all the officers loaded back on the train the train started to move forward.

General Chen Houk, the only three-star general onboard, took his cell phone and placed a call to President Kim Jon-il, advising his office that someone had killed General Lin Chen on the train to Chongjin and they were taking his body to Chongjin. Meanwhile, the murder investigation started aboard the train. The five-star general named a group of five officers who began to question their colleagues and subordinates. After several hours of questioning, the ad hoc investigating committee determined that several strange things had happened. The generals began to assimilate the information they had received. First, a strange jar of face cream, then two men in a new SUV just happened to be at a bus accident and now a widely popular general had been gruesomely killed. There was little room for skepticism. The investigators quickly reached consensus that spies were nearby. The only remaining question was their nationality.

CHAPTER 13

O NE FACTOR WAS a gold tinted lid on a jar that read: “Original Formula Fine Face & Body Creams. Especially blended for Neiman Marcus Stores. Manufactured in the USA.” Another was that the General had his throat slit earlier this evening and dumped off the train. Apparently, the spy or spies had been on this train bound for Chongjin’s nuclear facilities. The five officers decided they would call everyone back one at a time and ask them to open their shirts and drop their tros, looking for any signs that the cream might have been applied on the suspect’s body. It was almost daylight when they finished checking the men and still found no one. Perhaps whoever had killed the General jumped off the train when the body was thrown onto the rails. Every soldier on the manifest was ed for in the final roll call. The ICON team jumped off the slow moving train a few clicks from Chongjin and hid among the thickets along the railway. Leader One took his laptop and sent an encrypted update: A few miles outside Chongjin, earlier tonight, we caught the narrow-gauge train to Chongjin. I ran into trouble when I got on the platform of the caboose and a General stepped out on the platform to pee and smoke; he saw me and I killed him. I dumped his body over the rail then proceeded to climb to the roof of the caboose car when another General came out, apparently to talk with him. Finding him missing he pulled the train’s emergency line. The train stopped and then backed up. They found the dead general, loaded him onto the train and then proceeded to interview all the soldiers riding the train. I had placed my amplifier phone next to the roof and picked up portions of their conversations. One of my men lost the jar of Betel stain I had purchased for the men to darken their skin. It apparently fell out of a backpack not fully zipped. They found the jar near the scene of the bus wreck I mentioned to you earlier. They suspect spies. This train is being sent loaded with soldiers to beef up the security at the

various nuclear plants. We are now just a few miles from Chongjin. We are currently hiding in the heavy thickets along the train tracks and will move toward the planned targets perhaps tonight. ICON GM Despite the surroundings, Greco followed his routine. Hi, Maria. Everything here is going well. We are just a few miles from one of our targets. Hope you are feeling better. Do you know yet if we are going to have twins? Love ya Greco. Cool as ever. When it was dark, ICON moved two men within two hundred yards of the Chongjin nuclear plant and to the left flank of the main entrance. The other two moved to the right flank of the entrance. Kwon and Cheong stayed hundred yards behind them as lookouts. As soon as the four men were in place they set up their tripods, attached their infrared binoculars to the tripod, and began to observe the entrance to the suspected nuclear plant. The plant had two men stationed at the entrance and two more were walking up and down in front of the fence. They noted that two men stood guard at the entrance for two hours and then switched with the two men walking the fence. Every eight hours the guards completely changed with another four men taking their place and repeating the procedure. It was about the break of day when Kwon sent a warning. “Smoke. Five soldiers are marching. Take necessary action. Out.” Leader One replied: “If possible, let them without incident. Out.” The soldiers were laughing, talking and smoking as they approached the front entrance to the plant. One of the men about six feet tall seemed to be in command. They noted he came three times a day when he changed the guards. He placed the four men outside and he went inside the plant. It was almost three hours later before he came out. Leader One realized that they would need to enter the facilities. Because Leader One spoke Hangul he would use his three men and Kwon the next day to overpower the soldiers and take their uniforms.

Icicle, Iceman, Freezer and Kwon would stay outside and Leader One would go inside. Cheong would continue to stay some distance away to act as warning sentry. Leader One sent an encrypted message to Washington: Have observed the plant entrance at Chongjin and need to enter to determine exactly what they are producing. Plan entry tomorrow evening when only a skeleton crew is on duty. ICON GM That evening – at 2200 hours – as the commander and his four men approached Sgt. Wesley, the ambidextrous Leader One threw two knives and the others threw one knife each. A slight whistling noise filled the air and Leader One recognized the telltale sucking sounds of men desperately trying to recapture their breathing. The choreographed massacre seemed effortless. The whole incident was accomplished in a handful of minutes. The bodies of the five were pulled to the underbrush and their uniforms were removed quickly. The men attached their false IDs, which were included in their original kit gear, to their uniforms and the team marched toward the plant. Leader One dismissed the four on duty, placed his men in charge and went into the plant. He was surprised to discover the lax security inside. Cheong observed their actions from about two hundred yards out and watched the group marched toward the plant entrance. He kept all their backpacks. Leader One used the plastic security card taken from the pockets of the Korean commanding officer. The front door opened without incident. He had just about three hours – certainly no more than three and a half hours – to gather the necessary information, get his men out of the area safely and continue the mission. He was fortunate in that the General he had killed and he were about the same size – six feet tall and weight somewhere between one hundred eightyfive and one hundred ninety-five pounds. The size ten and a half shoe was a tight fit for Leader One but he could manage. The only difference was that Leader One did not wear eyeglasses. The weigh-in scale that he stepped on to open the next door had a variance of five pounds. He fell within the target weight and the door opened without delay. Once inside the building, Leader One observed a hallway running about two hundred feet beyond the small vestibule. On the right side of the hall were two

elevators, which seemed odd because the visible height of the plant was just two stories. The elevators suggested the building burrowed deep into the ground. He carefully opened the first door on his left and slipped inside. The room appeared to be as long as the hall outside. There were no windows in the room. He waited until his eyes adjusted to the darkness and then he found the wall switch and turned on the overhead lights. The room contained three holding tanks, each about twenty-five feet wide and fifty feet long. As he looked into the first holding tank, he noticed at one end a series of faint blue-purple lights glowing. Walking to that end of the pool, he counted fifteen submerged isotopes. He thought it an extraordinary breach of conventional caution to conceive the isotopes being beneath almost twenty feet of water. They appeared close enough that they could be easily touched. He checked all the tanks and they each contained fifteen isotopes. Kneeling down beside each tank and reaching under the overhanging lip of the tanks he placed a small C-3 charge each with a timer that he set to go off in nine hours. This would give them time to leave the plant, gather their backpacks and be ready for the next train leaving Chongjin, heading west toward the Chinese border. This would be long before the next set of guards was due to arrive in about seven hours. When Leader One reached the other end of the room he turned out the lights and re-entered the hall. Walking toward the entrance, he saw six rooms on his left. One of them – marked “Communications,” in Hangul – piqued his attention. He entered the room, immediately noticing the rows of numerous little red and yellow lights blinking. He found the light switch, which echoed like a cannon being ignited when it was flipped. He walked behind the large communications and found a surveillance camera that apparently recorded all who entered the plant. He quickly removed the tape and pulled the power switch leading to the surveillance camera wires so that the rest of his movements would not be tracked. He then strategically placed several small charges of C-3 with timers again set to respond with the other explosive devices. Across, from the huge communications board, was a large stand-alone computer, a vestige of a much older generation of mainframe computers. He removed the back of the U and decided he would deploy the stun laser gun that had wowed them during the briefing back in Washington. He clicked the laser button as he pointed it at the U motherboard. Instantly, large holes appeared in the motherboard. Once everything on the motherboard was

fried, he double-checked to make sure the hard drive had been vaporized. He turned off his stun-laser gun, impressed that it had worked as well as the prototype Laparte had demonstrated with such theatrical flair. He replaced it inside his uniform, next to his body so if needed it would be charged. He replaced the housing covering the U. Just as he reached over and turned out the lights he heard a noise: the rumbling of the elevators. However, the elevator did not stop on his floor but continued downward. The elevator shaft amplified the sound and he could hear clearly the opening of the elevator doors below him. Apparently, objects were being moved in and out of the elevator. The elevator doors closed but it did not ascend. He determined he had set enough timers to destroy their work to the extent that they could not regroup their efforts for many months – possibly a few years. He was certain the hard drive on the computer contained all their nuclear data. He was counting on their sloppiness with regard to backup and data integrity. Just as Leader One stepped into the hallway he heard the elevator buzzer calling for the elevator. He quickly stepped into a nearby storage closet. There must be several workers inside this building. The elevator stopped on the first floor, the doors opened and two nuclear physicists stepped out. He could hear their muffled voices through the door as they spoke in Hangul. He could hear the older scientist speaking. “I don’t understand. The system was working fine a short time ago. We will check to see if the extra load on the system threw an overload switch.” The younger scientist seemed skeptical. “I doubt that but we will check the system and we will know in a few minutes if we need to our computer technicians.” As they moved toward the communications room Leader One quietly stepped out behind them. They stepped into the communications room. He followed them, and as he had done before with the General and with one of the five soldiers they had overpowered, he slit their throats so quickly that the other eventual victim had not even begun to recover from the shock of the surprise to try to fight off his attacker. The two scientists collapsed to the floor, the now familiar gurgling sucking sounds signaling their quick deaths. He dragged them behind the main communications board hoping to buy whatever time he could to

make a clean escape. When the two men fell, they fell backward and the blood flowing from their wounds soaked into their thick lab coats. Again, bloodstains would be delayed in showing up on the floor. The time came to leave. He already had been there two hours and only thirty minutes remained before the next narrow-gauge train would be available to head to Hyesan. He left through the main entrance, gathered his men and quickly moved to the place where they had killed the General and five soldiers. They stripped off the uniforms and put back on their original outfits. They returned to Cheong, whose nerves were visibly shaken. In hushed urgency, Leader One recapped the events inside the plant. ICON then moved quickly on the one-anda-half-kilometer path to the narrow-gauge track to take the train to Hyesan. While they scattered out along the railway, about a click away from Chongjin waiting for the train, Leader One opened his laptop to transmit his encrypted report: I entered Chongjin nuclear plant which was under light guard. We killed four soldiers and two commanding officers, one on the train and one before entering the plant. I killed two physicists in the plant. I planted six charges of C-3 in the three holding tanks that each contained fifteen isotopes. I destroyed the mainframe of their computers, took out the surveillance cameras and wired C-3 to the backside of the communications board. Charges are set to detonate at 1200hrs. We are secure and hope to soon be on the train to Hyesan. I am sure there will be several large explosions in the Chongjin Nuclear Plant. ICON GM. Leader One wondered where they would be when the first fallout of the incident reached Washington. And, if the only evidence would be a little innocuous jar of face cream. Greco completed his last duty before going to the track: Hi sweetie, just a short note to let you know all is well and we are moving finally in the right direction. I hope that the doctor’s report is good. Do you know yet if it is going to be twins? Gotta go. Love ya! G.

CHAPTER 14

I N THE NEAR distance, the shrill noise of the narrow-gauge train whistle announced the approaching train with fifteen cars and a caboose. The ICON team waited in the heavy underbrush, and soon the slow-moving train rounded the curve, its light beaming into the early morning darkness. The train slowed as it approached the Chongjin nuclear plant and finally stopped. With their tripod-mounted night vision binoculars, the team watched as several dozen soldiers left the train, headed away from the plant toward a small garrison. It was almost an hour before the train started moving again, this time headed in a northwesterly direction. It would eventually take them back down to Hyesan. With the soldiers’ uniforms stowed in their backpacks they quietly and easily boarded the train. They deliberately scattered across the cars spanning the length of the train. “Leader One to Full Moon. Did you make it?” “Yes, Leader One, Blue Moon and I are on a fuel tanker top near the locomotive.” “Good.” “Ice man, are you okay?” “Yes sir. I am a few boxcars back from the engine. I can see the outline of Full Moon and Blue Moon ahead of me on a tanker car.” “Good.” “Icicle and Freezer, are you okay? “Ten-four.” “Good. We will ride until about daybreak and then find us a good hiding place to wait until dark. We will go up to Musan and then back down the country to

our next target in Hyesan.” The first stop had gone without a hitch. However, Greco knew that the explosions at Chongjin would raise the level of potential peril by a leap in magnitude at their next stop.

CHAPTER 15

O NE HUNDRED SOLDIERS disembarked at the Chongjin nuclear plant, reported to the garrison and stowed their gear. Four soldiers and a commanding officer marched toward the nuclear plant where they discovered the dead soldiers’ naked bodies. The garrison was placed immediately at the highest defense level with scores of troops dispatched to the nuclear plant where they cordoned off the entire perimeter surrounding the facilities. The CO entered the plant to find no one on duty and immediately ed headquarters which summarily dispatched two nuclear physicists to replace those killed. He summoned several soldiers to scour the facilities for anything unusual. They checked the holding tanks and saw nothing amiss. It was 1000 hours. While some searched the ground level, others went to the upper floor and still more to the floors, which descended deep below ground level. Finding nothing else out of place, the CO went to the communications area, where he reconfirmed the two bodies were those of the physicists. He was drawn to the odd-looking holes in the communications board and discovered yet another series of similar looking holes in the motherboard. It was 1025hours. The murder investigation was now the primary responsibility of the national government. The clock read 1042hours. Two of the army’s computer experts removed the motherboard and replaced it with a matching unit. When the system did not respond they removed the hard drive and installed a new one. Finally, twentyminutes later, they brought the new computer online but no data were accessible. The previous hard drive apparently had been permanently erased when the laser gun had emitted a powerful magnetic wave. The laser had caused the surface of the hard drive to warp and some holes were burnt through the hard drive. The CO had called in three K-9 trainers with their bomb-sniffing dogs. They arrived at 1115 hours. The trainers – Sergeant Lin Chun, Corporal Kim Chi, and Corporal KimLee – exchanged military protocol with the CO, who immediately

gave them their orders to start at the bottom of the facility and search every floor square kilometer by square kilometer. The search began in earnest at 1127 hours with the K-9 team and one hundred seventy five soldiers. Moving swiftly they completed the search at 0253 hours. The soldiers found nothing. The CO reasoned that the spy – or spies – heard the train coming and fled. After instructing soldiers to continue searching the building’s main level, he telephoned senior command to communicate his findings. He anticipated that the nation’s military defense infrastructure would be placed on full alert, along with the railroads, transit systems, and taxi service. Essentially, any and all vehicles would be scrupulously searched at checkpoints along the nation’s borders. It was 1159 hours. As Corporal Kim Chi entered the communications center, the dog barked and moved excitedly toward the rear of the communications board where he discovered the C-3 plants. Meanwhile, in the holding tanks area, the dog led Corporal Kim Lee to two bodies and the site of the planted explosive charges. As he radioed Sergeant Chun, communication went dead as a huge, blinding flash of light preceded a tremendous surface tremor. The blast had killed instantly everyone on site.

* * *

The ICON team left the train about the break of dawn. They had picked some berries from vines, eaten some larvae found in a dead tree trunk and settled down for a nap when Sergeant Leyton Wesley, who was standing guard, noted a large white-grayish cloud to the southeast toward Chongjin. He immediately reported this to Leader One. They stood, watching as the distant smoke in the sky became a weirdly beautiful palette of gray and black layers interspersed with pinks, reds, greens, and blues from the early morning sky. Most of them thought they had heard a far distant rumble like a spectacular explosion or a distant clap of thunder. They lay back down and waited for the darkness and the train. Their mission

now had become most dangerous. Leader one sent a terse encrypted message to Washington about what happened in Chongjin. Breaking routine, he was not prepared at the moment to send even a quick note to Maria. Chapter 16 H EADLINES IN A South Korean newspaper suggested a malfunction of undetermined causes had occurred in the Chongjin area. The story indicated a blast at a nuclear project had occurred and there were unconfirmed reports of that hundreds of people were killed. The report also indicated that South Korea had placed its soldiers on high alert. Headlines of newspapers around the world carried similar reports, suggesting a chemical plant in North Korea had exploded with the loss of at least several hundred lives. Needless to say, exact details were hard to come by.

* * *

Night found ICON waiting beside the railroad tracks for the train going toward Hyesan. Greco placed his ear down on the rail. Cheong looked curiously at him. “What are you doing?” “I’m doing the same thing your brother was doing. I’m listening for the train.” “Listening for the train?” “Yes, did you know you could hear if a train is on the track for several miles.? There is a train coming our way.” “Really? My brother used to tell me that but I thought he was joking. Let me hear.” Cheong placed his ear on the rail and he smiled as he detected the humming vibrations. “Yes, yes. I can hear it.” “That’s right. The train is about ten minutes from us. We need to spread out

along the track and be ready.” It was shortly after dark – 2115 hours – when they securely mounted the train, started south and west heading for the next target: Hyesan. Lying on the train’s rooftop, Greco sent a quick dispatch to Washington: We are on train bound for Changpai. Will change transportation there for Hyesan. GM ICON. This time, Greco resumed his routine and sent a quick message to Maria: All is going well. The usual excitement as with any trip and we’re anxious about our next sight-seeing destination. Hope you are feeling better. Are you over your morning sickness? Love, G.

* * *

Dozens of chemical scientists in radiation suits scoured the exploded chemical site. They carefully, marked and bagged the few intact pieces of suspicious items materials to be investigated further by the small cadre of forensic scientists the country had. The conclusions were quick. The spy or spies who had entered the country planted the suspected C-3 explosives. They examined the little face cream jar and began to infer connections. Special agents studied the items and the deaths of the soldiers and determined incontrovertibly that foreign spies had definitely entered into North Korea. However, they had yet to resolve the issue of why this plant had been targeted and not others which apparently had been ed over, if indeed the spies had infiltrated the boundaries as the military intelligence experts had hypothesized. The culprits, in their mind, had been narrowed to two possibilities: Russians and Americans. Beyond that, the intelligence experts had little to say about where they would strike next.Chapter 17 I CON HAD RIDDEN on top of the train for two and a half hours. They had about ninety minutes before daylight and the time they would need to jump from the train and hide for the day. Leader One had been in with the rest of his

men advising them to keeping their radios opened. As they crossed a wide river, Leader One radioed the others. “Men, the river below us is known as Doo Man River. It is the largest river running from north to south in Korea and it flows into the sea. The river is heavily traveled by fishing boats. It will also serve as one of our escape routes, if needed.” Leader One knew that one of the biggest problems is the city of Pyongyang located on its banks and it would be approximately a day’s travel from Hyesan to the river. He cautioned his men. “I want us to strive to stay together but, if separated, each man will be on his own. You each have your survival gear. It is now 0300 hours and we want to start looking for a place to stay for the day.” ICON would settle preferably near Changpai to make changing trains as conveniently inconspicuous as possible. They would arrive a bit before dawn and would stay the day hiding until dark. Then, they would board another train for Hyesan.” When the men left the train, they knew they were near a farm because they could hear a rooster crowing and the sounds of pigs close by. They found some rotten logs and enjoyed some grubs and larvae. Leader One gave instructions. “We’ll need to dig a hole to stow our backpacks and we’ll cover them up and so they cannot be detected.” They were almost finished covering the backpacks when they heard a child’s voice, speaking Korean. “Hello, how are you?” Kwon turned around and saw two small children dressed in ragged clothes with loose sandals on their feet, looking at him. He replied in the native tongue. “How are you?” The small boy spoke.

“I’m fine. What are you doing?” “We are just spreading the leaves.” The little girl brightened. “That’s nice. We have lots of leaves in our yard.” “Is he your brother?” “Yes, he is.” “What’s his name?” “His name is Jon ILL. He’s four years old.” “How old are you?” “I’m five and one-half years old.” “Isn’t it about time for you to go to school?” “Oh, I don’t go to school and he isn’t old enough.” “You don’t go to school? What do you do?” “Oh, we feed the pigs and the chickens and sometimes we just play and play.” Kim giggled with an infectious laugh and she gently tugged on her little brother’s right arm. “Come on. We need to feed the chickens.” They left as quickly and silently as they had come. Kwon was about twenty-five meters from the others as he was responsible for burying their gear. The children likely saw the other men but they only had talked to Kwon. Leader One seemed nervous, a bit agitated. “Each man, quickly dig a shallow grave in the underbrush and cover yourself up in case someone else comes. Keep your laser weapon in your hand. we can fire them without sound or a beam of light and maintain our positions.”

The men quickly dug the shallow graves – not more than thirty inches deep – in the underbrush. They placed their masks over their faces inserting a reed in their mouth to breathe through. With all of his men concealed in the ground, Leader One followed the others into his own shallow grave. The day seemed excruciatingly long.Chapter 18 T HE TWO SMALL children who chatted with Kwon went home, fed the chickens and then went inside to eat some rice. Sitting at the table, Jon Il poked his sister. “Aren’t you going to tell mama?” “Maybe we shouldn’t. We will get in trouble. You know what mama told us about talking to strangers.” Their mother heard them whispering. “What are you children whispering about?” Kim looked at her brother and then back at her mother. “Nothing.” The boy could barely speak fast enough. “Yes we are whispering. We saw some men.” “You saw some men?” “Yes.” “Where? Where did you see some men?” “Where we were playing.” “Where were you playing?” Kim spoke before her brother could open his mouth. “Down by the railroad tracks.”

The mother’s face darkened. “Down by the railroad tracks! Didn’t I tell you children not to go near the railroad tracks? You will get run over by the train.” “See, Jon Il. I told you we would get in trouble.” “Who were they?” Kim took charge now. “We don’t know.” “Were they railroad men working on the tracks?” “No they were just spreading the leaves around.” “Spreading leaves around?” “Yes!” “What do you mean they were just spreading the leaves around? Finish eating and then you will take me to the place where you were playing, okay?” “Okay, mama. They were taking a small limb with leaves on it and they were brushing the ground.” Within a few minutes, they finishing their meal of rice and fish and they put on their sweaters. The mother donned her sweater and hat. Somme was a small, frail woman and even though she was only thirty-two years of age she looked much older. Life had been hard for her and her husband who had left earlier that morning and had gone into town to take some produce to the markets to sell. They had struggled to raise vegetables, chickens and pigs to sell in the local town market. On a good day, he could manage to offer a few eggs, a chicken or two, and perhaps a small piglet. When she and the children arrived at the place where the children had seen the men they only saw some tree branches and leaves scattered on the ground. “Is this where you saw the men?”

Both children nodded as Kim spoke. “Yes, Mama.” ICON could hear them talking even though some of the words were not clear. “Okay, show me what they were doing?” Kim picked up a fallen tree branch and began to move the leaves back and forth. “This is what they were doing.” “How many men did you see?” Jon Il held up one hand with all the fingers stretched out. “This many!” Kim pulled down her brother’s hand. “Mama, we saw five or six men. They all had long hair, dark skin and a cap pulled down until you could hardly see their faces.” The mother seemed startled by her young daughter’s revelation. She took the tree branch and began to shuffle the leaves around. A limb on the branch caught on something. She moved closer to see. It looked like a strap. Then she noticed some freshly moved dirt. She got a hold of the strap but she could not pull it free and she noticed that it was fastened to something else in the ground. She stooped down, dug in the earth and saw more leather straps. She got hold of the straps and pulled a backpack out of the ground. It was ‘Icicle’s’ backpack. The mother gasped, covering her mouth with her right hand. “Children, come on. Let’s go to the house.” She carried the backpack with her as she and the children made their way to the house. She set the heavy backpack on the table near the kerosene lantern they used for light. She opened the bag and began taking out the contents. She found some hand grenades and then a small jar of a dark-colored cream. She carefully unscrewed the lid. It had no detectable odor. She looked no further. The children

thought it was paint and took some to paint on some boards. She stopped them and replaced the lid and set it on the table to wait until her husband Kim Lee came home from the market. He was a small muscular man, nearly the same age as his wife, with a scar on his chin a faint reminder of a childhood injury caused when he fell. His unruly once jet-black hair now was a slowly transforming wave of salt and pepper color. He sometimes wore tiny wire-rimmed glasses but only for reading. When Kim Lee arrived home, his wife told him about what she had found. As most ordinary North Koreans, Kim Lee felt compelled to go back in town to tell the authorities. He left also immediately. Already, the ICON team removed themselves from the shallow graves and dug out the remaining backpacks. Sergeant Erick – Icicle – noticed that his bag was missing. Trying hard to stem any sense of panic, Leader One knew that she had taken his bag. The men agreed that he would go to the house and retrieve his bag. He pulled his baseball cap lower to better cover his face and he followed – much like a cat silently assessing its prey – Somme and her children back to the house. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon on a bright and sunny day, the air was crisp and cool. He watched the house for a short time and then decided to take the chance. He could always use his laser gun if needed. The sound of an approaching motorbike – to many Koreans, known more familiarly as a tricycle – stopped him. A man, apparently her husband, stopped the tricycle, got off and went into the house. Shortly, he came out of the house, got back on the tricycle and left. Stealthily, Sergeant Erick continued to move toward the house. The front door was slightly ajar and he swiftly, but quietly, opened the door. No one was in the front room. Inside, he stopped a couple of feet into the front room until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Across the room on a small table sat a lantern, his backpack and a small jar. As he drew closer in the dim light, he noticed the face cream and the lid was lying beside the jar. Someone obviously had been using the cream. He could hear the woman in another room singing a lullaby-like song. He could hear, in her native tongue, saying, “Close your eyes and go to biddybye land.” He placed the jar of face cream in his backpack, closed it, left the room, and

made his way back to his group. He had escaped unnoticed. A little more than three hours later, Kim Lee came home. He told his wife the authorities would be here first thing tomorrow morning. The local authorities seemed to be oblivious to any apparent seriousness in the circumstances. Somme touched her husband’s arms, literally yanking it. “What did they say when you showed them the jar and the backpack.” “I didn’t show them the backpack or a jar.” In the excitement, he had forgotten to pick up the backpack or perhaps was worried about being implicated in any scenario. In any event, he wanted to leave things in as untouched a state as possible, free from any possible fingerprints that would cause him even the smallest of troubles. “What do you mean? Didn’t you take the backpack with you?” “No.” “Well, where did it go? I left it right here on the table. Children, come here.” When the children entered the room, she asked them about the backpack and the jar but they said they hadn’t taken anything. The backpack would have been too heavy for either of the small children to carry. “Kim Lee, I’m scared. This really frightens me. I never heard anyone come into the house or leave the house. I was busy preparing our evening meal and putting the children down for a nap.” Her husband belied his interior nervousness. “Don’t worry, Somme. I am here and I will protect you. We will lock our door and place the table against it so if there is any attempt to open the door we will hear the sound.”Chapter 19 A T LEAST MOMENTARILY, Sergeant Erick was relieved to retrieve his items. The perfect ghost, he believed that he had set things right – no noise, no sound, no confrontation, perfect. No one saw him.

Meanwhile, Leader One coded a message for Washington: “We were waiting for dark but some children saw us. They came back with their mother. She found our buried backpacks and carried one to their house but Erick successfully recovered it. As soon as it’s dark we’ll take the train for Hyesan. Hopefully we will be gone before any authorities arrive. ICON GM Despite the urgency of the situation, Greco transmitted a message to Maria. The moment had realigned his thoughts about what he was truly missing. “I know that we have been gone a only couple of weeks. It seems like a long, long time ago. I really miss you. I hope you are feeling better and you will soon be over your morning sickness. Has the doctor determined if it will be twins? Love ya, Greco. When Sergeant Erick arrived back to the group with his backpack, they whispered their congratulations. Leader One grabbed Erick’s shoulder like a long-lost buddy suddenly discovered. “Well tell us what happened?” “It went better than I expected. About the time I was ready to enter the house, a man on a tricycle rode up to the door stopped and he went inside. He came out, got on his bicycle and left. He apparently was in a rush and I noticed that the door was open so I went inside. “I could hear the woman in the other room apparently putting her children to sleep as she was singing. My bag was sitting on a table. They had opened the bag and they had removed my jar of cream. I picked the jar up, put the lid on and made sure the lid was tight put it in my bag and got the hell out of there.” Greco appeared quite concerned. “Do you think they tried using the cream in the jar?” “I think they might have thought it was paint. I noticed some had been smeared on a board.” “Men, I am afraid that we need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that the man went back to somewhere, possibly back to town to report the strange jar and

backpack found in a grave.” The men suddenly seemed dejected. Leader One continued. “Men, we can’t make a fire. Do you still have some of your MREs?” They all nodded. “Good, we will eat those.” Leader One turned his head as he heard one of the men grumbling about the meal. It was Sergeant Billy John – Freezer. “It was me. I just said I would trade this any day for a Ruth Chris Steak.” Iceman – Sergeant Wesley – piped up. “Who wouldn’t? Just eat that grilled rib eye with mushrooms and pretend you’re sitting beside a nice curvy petite little blond or brunette.” Icicle – Sergeant Erick – laughed out loud. “What’s wrong with a red head?” Iceman laughed. “Now that you mention it, I guess I wouldn’t care what color her hair was ‘cause you can’t see her hair in the dark anyhow.” In the gathering dusk, they opened the remainder of their MREs and chowed down. Without anybody noticing, a small packet dropped inadvertently out of Freezer’s pack. The packet eventually was kicked under a log as Freezer shuffled his feet. No one noticed it. As they finished eating, Leader One stood up. “Men, check your backpacks and for all of your equipment. Once we have confirmed that everybody has everything, we’ll police the area to make sure we have left no identifiable trash that would connect our country in any way possible. I can’t stress enough that we cannot afford to lose even one shred of evidence or residue. Do you have any questions?”

The team replied in unison. “No, Sir!” Each man ed for his gear but there was no mention of Freezer’s missing packet. Satisfied, Leader One dispatched the men to police the area and move their equipment deeper into the underbrush. They waited for dark, patiently for about five hours before the next expected train at 2300 hours. It was later that evening when they heard the whistle of the approaching train. The train came, slowed down as it approached the local town. ICON successfully boarded the train, again lying down on the top of the train, waiting for it to carry them to Hyesan. The trip was uneventful but Leader One still had a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was drastically wrong. The temptation to dismiss the North Koreans was great but now a few seemingly innocent missteps reminded him that nothing could ever be taken for granted.

CHAPTER 20

I T WAS ALMOST 1000 hrs when General Ban-hi Chun arrived with three staff . When he knocked on the door of Kim Lee and Somme, they heard the sounds of someone dragging something heavy across the floors inside the house. The general’s sonorous bass thundered out. “This is General Ban-hi Chun. I am here at Kim Lee’s request to inspect a backpack and other materials. Please open the door now.” Soon Kim Lee and Somme opened the door, bowed deeply and welcomed the General and retinue inside. The General and one staff member came inside and the other two remained stationed at the door. The general was a distinguished looking man, medium height, slender with a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee. He had a mole on his forehead just above the corner of his left eyebrow, suggesting that his left eyebrow was longer than the right one. It gave his face the permanence of skepticism in the form of a raised eyebrow always questioning whatever was being told. “May I see the back pack?” Kim Lee appeared contrite. “I’m so sorry. Someone came and stole the backpack.” The general raised his voice. “Stole the backpack?” Somme stood closer to her husband, who seemed deeply ashamed. “Yes, sir, and they took the little jar of brown-colored cream but the children thought it was paint and they smeared some of it on these pieces of boards.” She handed them to the general.

The general was clearly dissatisfied. “They? You said someone and now you are saying they? Was there more than one or was there only one?” Somme’s voice quivered. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if there was one person or several. As the children said, they saw five or six men.” The general’s tone softened slightly. “Okay, you’re saying person or persons unknown came and took the bag. Is that correct?” “Yes, sir. That’s correct.” “Where were you? Were you in the house?” “Yes, sir. I never left the house after I brought the backpack into the house. Kim Lee came home and I showed the bag and the jar to him. Then I went into the children’s room to finish putting them to sleep. He went to town to report this to the authorities. She paused to catch her breath. “When the children were asleep, I started preparing the evening meal. I noticed the bag was gone but thought that Kim Lee had taken it with him. When he came home and I discovered he had not taken the bag and the jar I became scared and we locked and barricaded the door. We removed the barricade only when you identified yourself.” The general reached inside his coat, pulled out a folded piece of paper, opened it, and handed it to Somme. “Did it look like this picture?” “Yes, sir. That’s it exactly. Where did you get this picture?” “I’m sorry. I can’t discuss this because it’s part of an ongoing investigation. May

I talk with your children?” Kim Lee hesitantly agreed. “Sure, they are small. One of them is four years old and the other one is going on six.” Somme went and brought the children into the room. She pointed to the boy. “This is Jon Ill and he is four years old and Kim, she is almost six years old. Children, say hello to General Chun.” They bowed and spoke in unison. “Hello, General Chun.” The General gently spoke to the children and asked them to tell him about the men they saw. Jon Ill held up his right hand and stretched out the fingers on his hand. “There were this many and they were spreading the leaves around.” Kim moved in front of her little brother. “Jon Ill, let me tell it. We had gone down by the railroad tracks to play. We saw several men but only one had a tree branch and he was spreading the leaves around. He asked if we were in school and I told him we were not old enough to go to school. He asked what we did and I told him we feed the pigs and…” The little boy jumped in. “Yes, and we feed the chickens, too.” Kim spoke authoritatively. “Feed the chickens and play.” The General seemed quite pleased. “Can you tell me what these men look like?”

Kim’s observations were quite detailed. “They had long hair and a ball cap that covered most of their faces and made it hard for me to see but I think they were Koreans because their skin looked like mine.” “Can you take me to the place where you saw these men and where you found the backpack?” Kim smiled and looked to her parents. “Yes, we can.” The general and his three men followed the children and their parents to the place near the railroad tracks. They were all surprised to see the six shallow graves and the place where the backpack had been. The general instructed his retinue to examine the area and sent the young family back home with one of his assistants. Another assistant then took some stakes, string and a mallet from the military van and went back to the area near the railroad tracks. The men carefully staked off a twenty-square-meter parcel of land. They marked it in onemeter grids. On hands and knees, the men began to search the area, one meter square grid piece at a time. They sifted through each shallow grave and found nothing. The grave that had contained the backpacks revealed nothing as well. General Chun exhorted his men to keep looking. Anxious to complete the search before dark, the general radioed for seventeen more men to assist in the search. He also called his superiors and told him that a family had identified a jar similar to the one found along the road near Chongjin where the bus accident had occurred a few days earlier. It was early afternoon when the extra help arrived. Each one took a square meter and searched diligently. Grid segment after another, they found nothing. They moved their stakes and string to the other grid areas. In an area where people sitting had apparently damped down the ground, nothing out of the ordinary was discovered. The men were growing tired and they all sat down to take a break. One man lit his cigarette and then opened his canteen to take a drink. He took a small amount of his water and rinsed out his mouth and leaning over he spit out the water. He immediately saw something brown under the edge of a log that caught his attention. Reaching over he pulled out a small strip of brown paper about three inches wide and seven inches long. It read:

BEEF SNACK STRIP #3035 Trans-Packers Services Corp. Brooklyn, NY 11222-5313 “General. I found something. Look at this! Look at this!” The general immediately walked over and took the small sealed pack and seemed eminently satisfied. He ed being in South Korea at the Yongsan base and seeing these in their PX store. He praised the man for his sharp eyesight and placed the pack in a special container. Finding nothing else in the area, they left. The general told the family they found nothing but certainly wanted to thank them for bringing this incident to the government’s attention. All the men left and the general went into his private car. His driver drove him home in silence but the general was deep in thought. The evidence was significant – very much so. Was it a group of South Koreans on a fishing expedition or were they from Russia since they had found remains of C-3 explosives at Chongjin but the jar of face cream from the USA and now a sealed bag from a military ready to eat meal? The general seemed convinced that it was an American plot. His driver dropped him off at his office. He went inside, and poured himself a cup of hot tea and sat down at his desk. He pulled out a piece of paper and began to write the known facts.

Suspects Known Facts Spies? Near bus accident, jar found with brown Russians? Pigmentation Americans? C-3 explosives used at Chongjin

Chinese? Nuclear plant: hundreds killed Internal dissidents? What purpose? To bring down government? Physical Evidence Six shallow graves and one deep grave Backpack with grenades and another jar of pigmentation A beef strip sealed pack from an MRE. It had been packed in Brooklyn, New York. For an hour, the general mulled the chart over repeatedly in his mind. He poured himself another cup of tea and suddenly dropped the small ceramic cup on the floor. Hyesan! He turned on the fax machine and sent a message to Pyongyang, in Hangul. “From all evidence it is the USA Government attempting to bring down our government. From the information I have gathered, I believe their next strike point is our nuclear enrichment plant near Hyesan. A task force should be sent to Hyesan Nuclear Plant immediately. Urgently, I await your orders.” Anxious and nervous, the general was exasperated. The fax could not be transmitted. A no connection message popped up repeatedly. The downfall made possible by as harmless a forgetfulness as not turning on the fax machine. After a dozen failed attempts, the general decided that protocol had to be breached and tried to call the president’s office directly. The phone lines were down. He went back to the fax machine. Finally, three hours later, after scores and scores of failed attempts, the fax went through. Time lost is the enemy’s gain. The general decided to send his troops directly to Hyesan without further authorization. Chapter 21

T HE TRIP TOOK five hours and ICON dismounted when the train stopped. The team used what few hours of night were left to move into the area of Hyesan’s nuclear plant becoming accustomed to the terrain and the surroundings. In the early morning they found themselves on some heavily brushed foothills surrounding the plant, about four hundred to five hundred yards away. However, they used binoculars to observe the plant that was heavily guarded by sentries and dogs. The routine was quickly discernable: once the guards met at the front gate they turned and marched back in the direction they had traversed. It was twenty-seven minutes before they would be again at the plant’s front entrance. ICON was impressed by the precision of their routine: It was always twenty-seven minutes. However, each sentry marched with a leashed dog, immediately recognized as rottweilers. These guard dogs were trained to kill at command or hold suspects in abeyance and highly effective at detecting bombs, drugs and cadavers in any high-risk hostile environment. Beside the main entrance – or what appeared to be the main entrance – two assault vehicles were parked with the motors off. Leader One quickly assessed the circumstances to develop a feasible plan. He would two of his men to get as close to the plant as possible. Then, he would enter the plant with the C-3 explosives and the two men would remain outside positioned to take out any approaching guards and dogs with their laser guns, which would eliminate any tell-tale signs of gunfire. They would draw straws to see who would go with Leader One and which three would stay behind and cover the operation. If the plans fell apart each man would be on his own, knowing to head southeast to the river and go downstream to enter South Korea as quickly as possible. The ICON team drew straws and Icicle and Iceman drew the short sticks. They would be the right and left flanks of Leader One. Freezer, Full Moon and Blue Moon – the code names for Kwon and Cheong, respectively – would stay behind; ready to provide any extra firepower as needed. All radios would be set to their coded secured frequency. The two flankers selected smoke grenades, incendiary phosphorus grenades and stun grenades. These would be used only in last resort circumstances. Leader One opened his laptop, sending an encrypted message to Washington and Seoul, detailing his plans: At 2100 hrs ICON will proceed to apply the planned program to Hyesan. We

have twenty-seven minutes to accomplish the mission and then retreat to the river and head for Seoul. ICON GM Like clockwork, he sent a message to Maria: We are over ½ through with the mission; later this night we will complete the desired action and then start our return to Seoul. Take care love ya Greco. Greco closed the laptop and began to select C-3 explosives and prepare timers for the explosives. He was not sure how much they would get to accomplish in just twenty-seven minutes but hoped they would certainly slowed down the “ROK” enrichment program a few years. At 2100 hours all the men set their watches. They turned on their radios. Freezer, Full Moon and Blue Moon wished their three colleagues the best of success. Freezer chuckled. “Yeah! Break a leg.” Iceman laughed. “What do you think we are doing? Making a movie?” Leader One stepped forward. “We are and now it’s show time.” The three moved with furtive catlike moves. The two flanks moved about seventy-five yards to each side of Leader One. They moved very slowly. It was shortly after 2200 hours when the three were in position. They watched the two sentries with their dogs make their way back to the entrance. At 2227 hours, the men began their next normal round of surveillance. Leader One, as quietly as possible, raised the hood on one of the assault vehicles and removed the coil wire. A pair of sentry dogs immediately localized the sound and turned toward the assault vehicles. The sentries now both looked toward the vehicles. Leader One and his two men froze in their positions. It seemed like an eternity before the sentries, seeing nothing, turned and continued walking the perimeter of the plant. Leader One looked at his watch. He had lost fifty-three seconds. It was 2230:53

hours when Leader One opened the doors to the plant and went inside. The plant was designed identically to the plant in Chongjin. He quickly raced to the holding tank where the isotopes rested nineteen feet under water giving off their mesmerizing blue-hued radiance. He planted the explosives. As he left, the holding tank area his two-way radio began to crackle. “Leader One, this is Icicle. Do you copy?” “Yes, Icicle, this is Leader One and I copy. Go ahead.” “Sentry and dog are approaching the entrance about seventy-five yards to the right. Shall I take them out?” “Absolutely. Take the dog first.” “Ten-four.” Icicle aimed his laser gun at the dog, and instantaneously the dog’s fur began to smoke. A large hole appeared behind the dog’s left shoulder blade. Looking through infrared binoculars, he saw the dog on the ground, shaking with spasms, like a quivering mass of Jell-O. He saw the stunned look on the sentry’s face as he knelt down by the dog. The sentry stood up, looked around. Icicle could see the fear in his face. He started to run toward the entrance, pulling out his radio from his jacket pocket but he never had a chance to use the phone. Quickly, the ominous whiff of burning hair permeated the air. The sentry was combusting. The smoldering patch of hair instantly burst into flames about the size of a golf ball that crackled in front of his left ear. Icicle placed his laser gun next to his body to recharge. Icicle seemed non-plussed by the sight, much like those murder scenes that captivate audiences at the latest horror flick. Almost giddy like a kid who’s discovered the features of a new toy, Icicle was swayed by his weapon’s uniqueness: no sound, no beam of light, nothing to give away one’s position but just enough mystery to strike any man’s heart with fear. Leader One’s radio clicked and he heard Iceman. “Shall I take out the sentry and the dog?” “Yes, immediately.” Iceman aimed his laser gun at the other sentry who saw his colleague collapse

into a burning mass. Iceman zeroed in on the man’s stunned perplexed glance. With no sound of a gun or a bomb explosion, the sentry immediately ran with his dog toward the other sentry. The sentry and his dog stumbled as the laser bored a hole through the sentry’s left kneecap immobilizing him and killing his dog immediately. The man screamed and tried to get to his feet but his kneecap was gone. No sooner had the sounds of his first scream died away when he opened his mouth as the second blast of Iceman’s laser struck him in his jaw and the sentry’s face disintegrated into oblivion. Iceman replaced the laser gun next to his body so it would fully recharge. Like Icicle, Iceman was as impressed by his weapon even amid the extraordinarily horrific scene that flashed before his eyes. Both men radioed back. “Leader One, mission accomplished.” “Good job, men. I have set five charges, which will explode every fifteen minutes. They will start exploding at 0600 hours. I’m coming out now.” It was 2250 hours. In the distance, they could hear the approaching train. Chapter 22 T HE NORTH KOREAN leader’s office received the faxed message from General Chun, and the communications operator immediately dispatched an aide to advise the premier. With great interest, the leader read the faxed message while holding the jar of face cream in one hand. He immediately sent authorization to General Chun to dispatch a hundred men to Hyesan nuclear plant. He issued red alerts to all army personnel and to the Navy to look for a party of six suspected of bombing the Chongjin nuclear plant. He ordered three MIG-100s into the air to start searching the surrounding area of Hyesan as soon as it was daylight. He also ordered three choppers they had purchased from China to scour the Hyesan area. The orders specified that the men should be captured alive and that any shots should incapacitate the intruders. General Chun flagged down the returning train from Hyesan and placed his soldiers on the train. The train was reversed for the return to Hyesan. It was now 2100 hours. He hoped that they would make it in time. Leader One, Icicle and Iceman hurriedly made their way back to the other three men in their party. The train was perhaps just fifteen or twenty minutes away.

Kwon was the first to speak when the three men returned to the group. “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like that. We were watching through our infrared binoculars and it was amazing to see the hole appear in the dog and then when the man’s head began to smoke and the hole appeared. I would never have believed it had I not seen with my own eyes” “What are we going to do about the train?” Freezer snapped his right hand fingers. “We’re going to get the hell out of here.” Leader One started moving. “That’s right. Head for the river. We will try to stay together as much as possible but if we get separated, – each of you are on your own. The mission we came here to do is completed. Now we have to get home. Any questions?” In unison they replied in the affirmative. “Search parties will be sent out for anyone who is not back by the designated time. Okay, men. Let’s move out.” In the darkness ICON moved past the train headed for Hyesan. A cool mountain breeze was blowing – at about fifteen miles per hour. They were still within hearing distance because of the wind blowing and they could hear the commanding officers shouting orders as the soldiers converged upon the nuclear plant. They heard some soldiers shouting as they got off the train. The group continued to move away from the area as quickly as possible. Leader One stopped only long enough to key a quick dispatch: We have placed charges at Hyesan nuclear plant and we are headed for the river. ICON GM

CHAPTER 23

W HEN THE TRAIN stopped near the nuclear plant the soldiers quickly disembarked and moved toward the plant, fanning out in a line about seventy meters long with each man carrying a lantern and a high-powered flashlight. General Chun was in front when he heard several men shout, coming from his right and on his left. “General Chun! General Chun! We have found a dead dog and a dead sentry.” General Chun called a halt to the forward movement of the soldiers. With a worried look on his face and a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he approached a group of the soldiers. The general wondered at his own fate, having now missed the men just barely two times. He hoped the air surveillance would be more successful. The soldiers gathered around an unrecognizable mass on the ground. As the general drew near, he could see it was the smoldering remains of a soldier and a dog. The general had spent four years in medical school before his education funds were exhausted and he had ed the armed forces of the ROK to provide financial assistance to his widowed mother. He looked down on the oddest wounds he had ever seen. The general slipped on a pair of latex gloves that he always carried in his inside coat pocket, and he knelt to examine more closely the perfectly round holes. There was no evidence of blood. He carefully examined the wounds on the sentry’s head. It was an unusually strange wound. Normally, a penetrating wound to the head – especially in front of the left ear and exiting on the right side – would push the eyes out of their sockets as well as fracture the skull. None of this was observed. However, the general noticed the eyeballs were gone. The sockets had two nearly perfect rounded holes about two centimeters wide, one on each side of the head. Turning the deceased’s head at an angle, he could not see any brains. Only then did the general accept the possibility that eyeballs and brains were vaporized. What disturbed him was that the skull – although fractured – showed no missing fragments. Stirred by his amateur interest in extra-terrestrials, the general contemplated an invasion by aliens.

He called Sergeant Chen and instructed him to his office to dispatch an army forensic doctor to the Hyesan nuclear plant immediately and to advise him immediately upon his arrival. The general had seen plenty of extreme trauma wounds during his medical school years and the internship he did for two years in the Pyongyang University’s forensic sciences department but this scene was by far the most perplexing. He left two men to guard the remains, and, awaiting the arrival of the army forensic doctor, he walked over to the other body about one hundred fifty yards away. He knelt down beside the dog and examined the entry wound on the right side of the animal, again noticing the absence of blood and perfectly rounded entry and exit wounds measuring about two centimeters across. The general struggled to envision a weapon that would be capable of making such perfectly shaped wounds. From the exterior of the wounds, it appeared as though someone had taken a saw or a drill and made a hole through the head or body from side to side. He turned and looked at the sentry’s remains. He had entry and exit wounds in his left leg. Acting more the physician than the general now, he scribbled details on the back pages of a small notepad. He noted that the patella, medial, lateral, and femoral condyles, along with the cruciated ligaments and the menisci were missing. More simply, the knee in his left leg was completely gone. General Chun noted as well that the pair were struck while they were running, apparently to the aid of the other sentry and dog. He now turned to the sentry’s head and immediately noticed that both mandibles were gone. The general surmised that he must have been attacked from an angle as his face had disappeared. Again like the first corpse, the empty skull was nearly intact. The general noticed a few tufts of black hair but the skull front appeared was as though someone had taken a saw and removed the face completely. Again, no eyeballs, no brain and no blood. The general had yet to let go of an alien invasion. He advised all soldiers under his command to hold their position to touch nothing or move anything and to wait for the arrival of the army forensic advisor. The general expected him to arrive by daybreak. Meanwhile, the general pondered his startling notes. For the first time in his life, he was experiencing the sensation of fear. What he had seen during his medical school days would easily unnerve many others but not General Chun. He was proud of his comprehensive knowledge and experience with wounds caused by

weapons in the midst of violent conflict. However, the characteristics of these wounds strained his knowledge base. Usually a well-tempered man of scientific and empirical demeanor, he nonetheless continued to contemplate the possibility – and probability – that aliens had descended upon the bleak, violence-torn nation. The general steeled his reserve. He wanted to pursue these unusual soldiers. Chapter 24 I CON HAD COMPLETED its mission without losing any of its men. Leader One never celebrated his successes. In his mind, missions never really end. They had been in a semi-jog ever since they left the nuclear plant. They were now about five clicks away from the scene where the sentry and the dog were killed. They stopped for a few minutes to rest. Iceman took a drink from his canteen. “When will we reach the river?” Leader One also took a drink from his canteen. “We will travel as far as we can and as fast as we can until daylight and then we’ll rest for the day. I’m sure they will have planes and choppers looking for us. We should reach the river sometime after dark. I would hope to enter the river at dark. On the river we will travel only at night as we are too easily spotted from the air and I’m sure they also will have boats on the river.” Freezer spoke up. “How long will we be on the river?” “It depends how swiftly the river is flowing.” Full Moon raised his right index finger. “This time of year it should be flowing swiftly as it is the monsoon season. If so, we should only be on the river two or three nights. When we get close to Pyongyang we will need to exit the river as the ROK has several river gunboats that patrol the river for several miles.”

Leader One nodded. “Right. When we get out of the river from there, we will travel on foot to the DMZ and back to Blue Moon’s residence. We will meet there unless we get scattered and then we’ll gather on the other side of the DMZ. Okay, men, let’s move out.” Iceman motioned for everybody to draw closer. “I have a question. Reaching into his backpack he pulled out a small bag of dried beef jerky. Here, fellows, have some of this. My dad sent me several pounds of his smoked beef jerky. He makes it year and he has been making it since I was a little kid. It’s pretty damn good.” The men grabbed the surprise treat. The two Korean brothers – especially Full Moon – seemed to be enjoying it even more than the rest of the team. “Yes, it’s really good. A lot of Koreans would really enjoy this.” The bag had two pieces left when Icicle handed it back to Iceman. Iceman in mocked anger looked at the last few remaining pieces. “Gee, thanks fellows for leaving me a couple of bites.” The jerky was a brief welcome escape. As soon as they finished, they moved out once more on their long journey home.

CHAPTER 25

G ENERAL CHUN WAS surprised when Dr. Fue Bien, the chief forensic pathologist, arrived earlier than expected in the emerging pre-dawn light. Three soldiers escorted Dr. Fue Bien immediately to the General. The doctor bowed and shook the general’s hands. “I have been very fortunate that one of the military police offered his motorcycle to deliver me here to the scene.” The Doctor was a slender middle-aged, medium built man easily distinguishable in any crowd by his extra thick horn-rimmed glasses and a birthmark on his face that resembled that gave him the appearance of having a red goatee. The general motioned to the pathologist. “Come, follow me. I want to show you the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.” When they arrived at the remains of the dog and the first body, the doctor put on some rubber gloves and then knelt, briefly examining the man and the dog,. “These are indeed strange entry and exit wounds almost as though some type of saw like a doorhole saw had cut a neat hole all the way through the man’s head. The entry wound and the exit wound appear to be the same size about two and a half centimeters across.” The general seemed pleased at how the doctor confirmed his findings. “Right, look at the dog! I tell you, Doctor, in my years at Pyongyang, I have never seen anything like this, have you?” “Well it’s certainly unusual. Normally, when you cut a hole you are able to see the construction of the bone or the cross section of the object you have cut. This looks like it has been cauterized, fused never fully…”

“Unusual, my ass!” The general grew very animated. “Did you notice the organs that touch these wounds? They are missing, no eyeballs, no brains, no bleeding no heart. There are no fragments of tissue, bone or blood on the ground. It’s as though everything was vaporized. That is scary. Come on. Let’s look at the others.” “You mean there are more bodies than these?” “Oh, yes. We have two more bodies: one dog and one human.” With the general’s approval, the doctor instructed a few soldiers to have the remains of the dog and the sentry removed to the forensics lab in the nearby city of Hyesan. They then walked over to the other bodies. The doctor examined the left leg of the other sentry and immediately notice that the entire knee was gone. “Are you telling me you found no bone fragments or pieces of ligaments or tissue on any of the bodies?” “You’re right, Doctor. Now look at the face. I mean where the face should be?” The doctor’s professional mien is clearly shaken. “Well… I don’t believe it.” With great insistence, the general drew closer to the doctor. “What is it you don’t believe?” The doctor examined the remains of the sentry’s head for a few seconds once again. “Off the top of my head I’d say it appears to be like some sort of a laser.” “A laser? Who runs around with a laser large enough and powerful enough to do damage like that?” “I won’t know for sure until I can thoroughly examined these bodies. Have the men carefully remove these remains and deliver them to the forensics lab in

Hyesan.” The doctor paused again for a few seconds. “Oh, by the way, General, it could be a handheld laser.” “What do you mean a handheld laser? How big a generator would you need to generate enough power to operate this type of weapon, Doctor?” The doctor shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know. Perhaps it’s operated with a battery supply source.” The general was becoming uncharacteristically agitated with the doctor. The general’s distinctive mole above his right eyebrow accentuated his skepticism. He wasn’t accepting any of the doctor’s probable explanations. “Shit, Doctor, when we haven’t even developed a car capable of performing on the road like the gasoline engine what makes you think this was the work of a hand-held laser? Maybe it is aliens. Besides, how long would you have to hold a laser beam on a spot to burn a hole? The deceased were moving at the time they were struck and it would be as hard as hell to burn a perfect circle on their bodies not to mention the dogs.” The doctor appeared exasperated. Protocol was unraveling quickly in the urgency of the situation. “General, I’m not a fucking automotive engineer! I am a doctor and I’m just telling you what it looks like.” Then, with a wave of his hand, he turned and walked toward the military police waiting on the motorcycle. The General fumed. Speaking loudly but to no apparent target now that the doctor had left. “I don’t give a shit if he is a excellent doctor. When I get back to the office I will write his ass up and then he won’t be so flippant and haughty, at least with me. After all, I am among the most highly-decorated generals.”

The General turned to his men. “Let us move forward but with great caution. I want the plant surrounded. I will enter the plant with two men.” The general pointed to two men – Lee and Kim Park, brothers who had dedicated themselves wholly to the military service of their nation. The soldiers moved to their positions around the plant as the general and the pair of soldiers entered the plant. They found nothing amiss in the plant and the general felt somewhat relieved for the moment. He was hoping whoever was responsible had left and decided not to infiltrate the plant any further. Nevertheless, he couldn’t let go of the lingering suspicion that some critical piece of evidence had been overlooked. He went back outside and summoned the K-9 bomb detection corps. It was 0300 hours.

CHAPTER 26

F IVE HOURS HAD ed since ICON left the plant and they still were many clicks away from the plant but Leader One wanted his team to be as far as away as possible. They had jogged the length of their trip and everybody was feeling the stress. He called a halt for fifteen minutes. Freezer barely caught his breath. “How much longer, Leader One, are we going to jog. I’m about completely pooped.” “I know but the farther away from the plant we are when the C-3s go off the better we will be as well as safer. I’m sure when the planes and choppers come they will search the area from the plant to the rivers. We will continue until it starts getting light. We will then move more slowly. If things continue this smooth, we should make the river before daybreak tomorrow.” Icicle was hungry. “Lets’ eat!” “We can’t afford that luxury now but we can in a couple of hours. We need to move farther away from the plant. Okay, men, let’s move out.” They continued to jog toward the river. They had traveled about an hour when Iceman suddenly fell on the ground and groaned. They all stopped. Freezer went to Iceman. “What happened?” “I tripped on a small stone. I think I twisted my ankle.” His colleagues gathered around him, sat him up and Freezer began to remove

Iceman’s right walking shoe. Icicle turned on his pencil-sized flashlight and opened his Medi-pak and took out an ACE ankle bandage. By the time Freezer had Iceman’s walking shoe and sock removed Iceman’s ankle was starting to swell. Freezer gently pressed on Iceman’s ankle. “Yes, sir, it looks like you’ve done it to your ankle.” Icicle handed the bandage to Freezer who wrapped tightly the bandage around Iceman’s ankle. In a few minutes, he was able to stand. The pain was manageable. Once again, they headed for the river, this time Iceman moving slower and bringing up the rear. It was 0300 hours when Iceman had sprained his ankle. In the next two hours the group had traveled another twelve to fifteen clicks. When they stopped, dawn was fast approaching. Iceman lagged long behind in the rear. While waiting for him to catch u the team heard the unmistakable sounds of a MIG-100 piercing the morning quiet. They knew the choppers would not be too far behind. Leader One looked at his chronometer: it read 0559.57. Just as Iceman caught up with the group they heard the loud bang of an explosion behind them. Leader One urged the men on. I wonder if it sounded like this when God spoke the world into existence. They had moved a few more clicks when a second explosion was heard and shortly thereafter a third explosion was heard. The early dawn sky darkened and ash settled around them. Chapter 27 T HE AIRPLANE MECHANICS had worked feverishly all night mounting the wide-angled, telescopic cameras on the bottom of the MIG-100s just in front of the front wheel wells. These cameras would immediately transfer the ground pictures to the cockpit as well as transmit them to a wireless receiver on deck of the air rubber boat carriers anchored off the coast near Chongjin. Commander Wien had fastened his parachute and then entered the cockpit. He buckled himself in and checked all the instruments. He checked out the camera.

Though the screen display was small, it would zoom in on a subject, its magnifying capability more than one hundred times the original size. If it detected a heat response the screen would then lock on with the longitude and latitude displayed. When the control tower cleared him, he started the engine, revving it as high as it would go and the brakes still hold. The flagman waved his signal flags and Commander Wien released the brake. the North Koreans had put into service Kuznetsovs purchased from Russia and the government had managed to refit the carriers with recent technology so they could easily carry the variants of the SU-27 Russian fighter jets and newer-generation helicopters. The huge ship’s engine thrust the plane forward and it lifted off the deck, rapidly climbing into the air, reaching its expected mission altitude of fifteen hundred meters. He circled back around and headed inland to the west and toward Hyesan. It was almost 0500 hours. He reached his cruising speed of five hundred seventy-five miles per hour in a matter of seconds. “Commander Wien to control tower” “Yes, Commander.” “I have reached my cruising altitude, camera, infra-red heating instruments are all responding properly.” “Yes, Commander Wien, you need to focus your camera. The picture is not as sharp as it should be.” The commander adjusts the electronic focus and replies. “Is that better?” “Yes Commander, over and out.” It was almost 0601 hours when the commander suddenly radioed back to control. “I have just seen a bright light and black billowing smoke from the west. It appears to be in the Hyesan plant area.” “Commander, fly over it send pictures back…” “Oh my God, I see more clouds of white and black smoke. Apparently it has

experienced more explosions. I am about five minutes away from the area.” Wien observed yet another large explosion followed by a series of smaller explosions. “Control Tower, this is Commander Wien, I have my camera turned on and I am now ing over the Hyesan plant. I will circle. I am descending to a lower altitude of five hundred meters to take more pictures.” “Good idea, Commander.” Wien circled back and the camera whirred with new photos. “Control Tower, there are numerous fires and occasionally I see flares of fire so it must be some small chemicals igniting, about one hundred sixty meters away from the plant. I see a train on the track and flames coming out the train’s windows.” “The pictures are clear, Commander. We want you to fly between the plant and the river to the east.” “Affirmed.” Wien’s channel now had a new voice onboard. “Commander Wien? This is General Chun. Fifty of my men and I are here behind the train’s caboose. We are looking for possibly six individuals. I suspect they are headed for the river. I’m not sure whether it’s the Yalu or Doo Man.” The radio crackled with interference and then the General waited momentarily before continuing. “If possible, we want them alive, not dead. I will ask the choppers to drop twenty-five men each about sixty meters inland from the river. I have asked your dispatcher to keep me informed of any movement. My remaining men and I are starting from this area and perhaps we will be able to catch them in a pincer move between the two groups.” “We will do our best and keep you informed of anything we see.”

General Chun called headquarters and requested two choppers. He also requested fifty men to be stationed about sixty meters inland from the river in small squads of five men each. For Chun, the end game had arrived.

CHAPTER 28

L EADER ONE HAD instructed his men after every five clicks to string some hand grenades. “Men, set the trip wires about six inches off the ground.” Leader One looked at Iceman who seemed to be coping with the injured ankle. “Ice man, how are you doing? How does the ankle feel?” “Leader One, I’m doing okay. It’s a little sore but I’ll make it.” “How are the rest of you men doing?” The men replied in unison and in upbeat spirits. “Men, in another hour or two it will be daylight and I suspect they will have every man and dog available hunting us.” This is a tight situation but I’ve been in tight situations before. The only difference is that I have been by myself before. Now I have these young men for whom I’m responsible. Just : Stay cool and don’t let your men see you sweat. It was barely daylight when the team heard a MIG-100 plane high overhead. Leader One spoke. “Men, they probably have infrared heat sensors as well as telescopic cameras on that MIG looking for us. Try to stay among the trees as much as possible. Stay alert!” Again, the men replied in the affirmative and in unison. “I suspect they will soon be dropping troops on us. Is everyone’s laser fully charged? We have the advantage. Let’s continue to move toward the river.”

In the distance, they heard the “woop, woop…” of approaching choppers. Iceman asked, “Leader One what do you think will be their plan?” “I think the troops – or at least some of them from the train – will head toward the river. They are inchoate at the current time but believe me they will turn up the heat as time goes by. Then the choppers will drop troops near the river and let them move inland. It will put us in the middle of a squeeze play.” Iceman snapped his fingers. I think it’s possible that we can set our radio frequency and perhaps pick up any communications that they may be transmitting.” “That’s an excellent idea.” Iceman began to work his way slowly through the radio’s cycles as they continued to move toward the river. Leader One shouted, “Men, find cover. Here comes the choppers and they are flying low.” Iceman heard the normal static on the different cycles but as he ed one cycle, he heard, “This is General Chun…” and then the signal faded abruptly. “Leader One! Leader One, I think I have found their frequency. I believe they are bouncing their signals off a satellite. Awww… Shit! I lost it.” “Good job. At least we know we can access their frequency. Keep trying to get their frequency so we can monitor them.” Iceman returned to scanning his radio and immediately came upon “Commander Wien, this is General Chun…” “I got them back! I got them back!” Iceman now had a stable transmission. He could hear the exchange between Wien, the pilot, and the general. The voice sounded frantic. “What did you see?”

“General Chun, I’ve made three es all the way from Doo Man River to the Yalu but I’ve seen nothing moving but the heat sensors did send back several signals.” General Chun replied, “Did you see anything moving toward the Yalu River.” “No, sir, the heat sensors located them east of Hyesan.” replied Commander Wien. General Chun said, “How many heat sensors?” “Let me count them, General. Just a moment. I count six different spots but those could be some animals. I see nothing moving.” General Chun replied, “Good job, Commander! I’m pretty sure we are looking for a party of six. Where did you locate the heat sensors?” Commander Wien replied, “We located the hot spots about forty kilometers east of Hyesan.” “Aaaahhh,” replied General Chun. “They are headed toward Doo Man River.” Commander Wien replied, “Are they Russians, Chinese, Americans, Koreans?” General Chun replied, “I doubt they are Chinese as the family that first saw the men said and I quote they have long-billed baseballs caps, dark skin, long shaggy hair like most native Korean peasants and they did speak Hangul.” “Okay, General, I’m heading back to my air rubber boat carrier anchored in Chongjin Bay as I’m getting low on fuel. If you need me again just radio me. Over and out,” replied Commander Wien. Iceman had been listening intently as the others watched. The exchange between Wien and General Chun had lasted just over two minutes. Now, Iceman was waving a clenched left hand in victory. “Hot dog! I’ve got a fix on them. It’s thirty-three point thirty-five megahertz.” Everybody else now switched their radios to the frequency, just in case they would need to rely on it should they become separated. Leader One patted

Iceman on his right shoulder. “Okay, men. They know we are headed toward the river and those choppers we heard earlier were no doubt dropping off soldiers. I don’t know but I suspect there will be about forty or fifty soldiers coming toward us from the river and definitely more behind us with General Chun. Men, I repeat, are your weapons fully charged?” Again, they replied in the affirmative in unison. “Okay, then let’s take them out and the next time the choppers come over I want Icicle and Freezer to aim for the tail rotor and the cockpit on the first chopper. Iceman and I will do likewise on the second chopper’s cockpit.” There was no margin for error this time around. Leader One managed one quick encrypted transmission to Washington relaying their position and current situation. Despite the urgency, he managed a quick “I love you” to Maria, hoping that it would not be his last words. The choppers now came into view on the distant horizon, about twenty-four kilometers to the east. The men keyed for full engagement, all tuned to the same North Korean radio frequency. Their calmness suggested there was no doubt that this small unit would marshal every available advantage.Chapter 29 “G ENERAL CHUN, THIS is Commander Yunisher of chopper number 302ROK. I am being accompanied by Lieutenant Commander Cheng in chopper number 395A ROK. Do you read me, General Chun?” “Yes, Commander Yunisher. I see you coming toward me in the distant and you are coming in loud and clear.” “Okay, General, we just dropped forty soldiers near the bank of Doo Man River. They will be spreading out to cover a large area and will start moving westward toward Hyesan. Over.” In his native tongue, the General’s tone was final, ominous, and bellicose. The end game had started. “That sounds good. We need to nail these assholes or we will all look incompetent.”

“Yes, sir. Absolutely, General. I understand and we will not let them escape.” “Oh, Yunisher, if at all possible, I do not want them killed. Do you understand?” “Yes, sir. We will do our best. We are now approaching you. We will circle and turn back toward the river and continue to search as we tighten the noose.” The exchange had been heard in total by ICON. Leader One now issued his orders. “Okay men, we heard their plans. Let’s get ready for them. Each man find an area on these slopes, dig yourself a shallow grave, cover yourself and leave your laser out and look toward the sky and shoot them down when they come over.” With precision speed, the men quickly scooped shallow graves just deep enough to cover themselves and waited. Within ninety seconds, they heard the approaching sound of the choppers. Each man now aimed his space-age weapon toward the morning sky and waited for the choppers. “General Chun, we have not seen any movement on the ground even though the readings from the pilot’s heat sensors indicate they should be in this general area.” “Keep looking, Yunisher.” “Yes sir, I will, I…” and Commander Yunisher’s radio went dead. “General Chun, this is Lieutenant Commander Cheng. Something has happened to Yunisher’s chopper. His tail rotor has come off… his chopper is out of control. Commander Yunisher! Commander Yunisher! He is going down.” General Chun could hear the explosion over his radio as Yunisher’s chopper hit the ground, its parts scattering like a cheaply made toy that had been smashed against the ground by a frustrated, bored child. Panic choked Cheng’s shrill voice as he shouted into his radio. “I can’t control my chopper. It is spinning out of control. Mayday, Maydaa…”

Then silence as his chopper torpedoed into the ground. ICON had bought itself precious breathing room as Leader One’s tactic had been executed as he had instructed his team. “We will rest a few hours and then move out about dusk toward the river and hopefully we can maneuver around the soldiers coming up from the river.” The radios crackled again with activity. They heard General Chun radio the two downed choppers from his headquarters. “This is General Chun and the two choppers you sent under the command of Commander Yunisher – serial numbers 302ROK and 395A ROK – have just crashed approximately fifty-five kilometers to the east of Hyesan. Fifty of my men and I are moving in that direction. Do you read me?” “Yes, sir. General, we read you. You are breaking up. We understand that our two choppers have crashed. Is that correct?” “Yes, that is correct. Do you copy?” “Yes, sir. We received the message and will dispatch another chopper to the area immediately. Over and out.” Again ICON’s radio picked up the complete transmission. And, Leader One once again patted Iceman’s right shoulder for zeroing in on the right frequency. “Men, we have bought some time. Let’s rest a couple of hours and then move one or two kilometers to the south before heading toward Doo Man river. Be sure and recharge you weapons.”Chapter 30 T HE AIR FORCE dispatcher in Chongjin received General Chun’s report and began to prepare another chopper with a doctor, two nurses, two medical assistants, body bags, ten soldiers and two aviation inspectors. They left within the hour and they arrived in the middle of the afternoon at the two crash sites. They informed their dispatcher and General Chun that there appeared to be no survivors. General Chun radioed in further instructions.

“Lt. Commander Cheng said that Commander Yunisher lost his tail rotor. Please examine the tail section closely. Also have the doctors tell me upon field examination what the bodies look like. My soldiers and I are moving toward you from the Hyesan plant.” An hour had ed when suddenly General Chun’s radio crackled back to life. “General Chun, this is aviation inspector Wang. Do you copy?” “Yes, Inspector Wang, I copy you. What did you find?” “Well General Chun, it’s the strangest thing I have ever seen in my ten years of air rubber boat inspections. The tail rotors at both crash sites appear to have melted completely. However, the bracket that attaches the rotor to the choppers tail shows no signs of stress. They are not bent or misshapen. Normally the metal will show stress but the metal shows no signs of stress. We have located one of the rotors and it’s as smooth as skin. It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever encountered.” The General acknowledged Wang’s detail and the inspector continued. “Oh, General. One other thing. In examining the cockpit of both choppers there are the weirdest holes I’ve ever seen.” The General stood up from his station back at headquarters. “Inspector, do the holes look like they had been drilled?” “Yes they do, how did you know?” “Inspector, is the doctor close by you?” “Yes, he is.” “Tell him I need to talk with him.” “Yes, sir.” “Doctor, Doctor Louko. The General wants to talk with you.” “Okay, just a moment,” replied Dr. Louko.

“This is Louko, General Chun” “Doctor, have you been able to examine the bodies of the pilots?” “I have only examined the remains of Commander Yunisher.” “Doctor, did he die from the crash or something else?” “Well, General, I can’t say for certain until I have finished an autopsy and that will be done when I get him back to the hospital base in Chongjin.” “I understand that, Doctor, but did you see anything unusual about the bodies? Did they have any strange markings or burns or injuries that you have not seen before?” “Yes. On Commander Yunisher behind his right ear, at an upward angle approximately two centimeters wide an entry wound that exited through the frontal lobe bone above the left eye. Why?” “Does he still have his brains and eyeballs?” “It’s funny that you asked as it’s most unusual. The exit wound did not fracture the skull. The exit wound is very similar to the entry wound and to answer your question he does not have his brains or his eyeballs. Have you seen this before?” The doctor’s voice was laced with surprise at the General’s questions. “Yes, Doctor, I had two sentries and two dogs with similar entry and exit wounds and the organs affected by the wounds on these remains were also missing. Dr. Bien is doing a complete autopsy in Hyesan on the other remains and I hope to have his report within hours. So tell me, Doctor, what could have made these type of wounds?” “Damn, if I know.” The general’s tone sounded agitated, irritated. “Well, Doctor, give me your best guess.” “Well, it’s hard to say. It looks almost like someone used a drill except the bone

around the entry and exit wounds is smooth. There was no bleeding, nothing – not even a sign of blood pouring from the wound.” “Doctor, could it have been caused by a laser?” “Well, a laser would cause a wound like that but the area around the entry and exit wound, I think, would be burned and it’s possible the intense heat of a laser would vaporize the eyeballs and the brain but I believe the flesh on the face also would be blistered. I tell you, General, I will know more when I get them back to the hospital and do a cranial exam as well as a full autopsy.” The general sounded flustered and resigned. Where did these idiots go to medical school? I will get to the bottom of this if it takes the rest of my life! “Okay, Doctor, just keep me informed.” “Yes, sir I will.” The doctor gave the radio back to the inspector, turned to one of his nurse aides. “Do you take shorthand?” The young nurse, who barely looked eighteen, nodded and the doctor motioned for her to him. “Good. Get a pad and come with me.” Chapter 31 I T WAS 0145 hours when Dr. Bien arrived at the morgue in Hyesan. The remains of the dogs and the two sentries arrived shortly afterward – just about forty-five minutes later, some twenty-eight hours after the estimated time of death. He asked his two assistants to place all the remains on tables in the same room. Without even yet looking at the state of the remains, Bien anticipated that his forensic pathology skills and knowledge were being sorely tested by the unusual nature and form of the circumstances presented in the case. Not knowing what to expect after so many hours, he was really quite pleased. The remains had been placed in bags with a sealed compartment containing ice. The melted water was still cool enough and that had helped to preserve the remains reasonably well.

Dr. Bien removed the human remains first, took extensive photos of the wounds noting that they had no bleeding and the capillaries seemed to have just stopped at the edge of the wound, an extremely unusual finding. The skin had started to slip off and the remains had started to bloat. These would require extremely careful handling. He noted that bull flies had laid eggs in some of the orifices of the head and some maggots were present. Overall, the remains were not too bad. He placed a call to the University in Pyongyang, asking to speak with Dr. Wien Bin, professor of anatomy and a well-known brain surgeon, one of the few medical specialists whose reputation outside North Korea was acknowledged by Westerners and others in Asia. He left a message for Dr. Wien Bin to return his call. It was almost midnight the call was returned. “Hello, Dr Bien speaking.” “This is Dr. Wien Bin returning your call. I have not heard from you since your graduation from the University in nineteen eighty-nine. How are you doing?” “Hello, I’m fine. I have a real problem and I need your expertise.” “Sure I’m pleased to help. What is it that you need? Given the urgency in your tone, I assume it’s connected to the events that happened earlier today.” Dr. Bien described the wounds and their unusual features. His old colleague peppered him with questions framed at confirming the exact descriptors Dr. Bien used to document the evidence among the horribly mangled remains. “I will fax the photos of these wounds to you in a few moments. I would appreciate a reply as soon as possible.” “I will give you my undivided attention regarding this matter. Obviously, this is of the highest priority to the State.” The fax machine in Wien Bin’s office, a seemingly veritable relic in an age of advanced digital transmissions capable of precise quality and detail, rumbled to life in the darkness. Nevertheless, the machine spewed out pages of amazing images, and immediately any remaining whiff of skepticism evaporated from the doctor’s mind as he pondered the pages documenting wound characteristics that he had never seen even in the most horrific scenes of carnage. He carried the faxed photos over to his desk and placed them under his desk-mounted

magnifying lens. He adjusted the powerful magnifying lens until the faxed photos were clear. He poured himself a cup of hot green tea, sat down and began to scan the faxed photos for any minute telltale sign. He noted the entry wounds on a pad: (1) The spongy bone – or diploe – that separates the outer and inner bone of the skull which is rich in veins appeared to have the veins come right to the edge of the entry and the exit wounds and stop. The contents in the blood vessels did not show any signs of extreme heat, as a laser wound would suggest. (2) The examinations on both humans and animals showed the same results at entry and exit wounds. No sign of searing of the blood appeared in any of the faxed photos. The photos bedeviled him much as they had his former colleague and surely the General and his cadre of investigators. Within the half hour of receiving the faxes, he called Dr. Bien. “Are you examining the bodies?” “Yes I am! Why?” “Get your most powerful magnifying glass and look at the diploe of the skull and tell me what you see.” “Well, I see a very smooth entry and exit wound in the skull and I see… Oh, I see the blood vessels are not seared and the blood does not appear to have had extreme heat applied to it.” Dr. Wien Bin’s voice sounded almost shrill in his excited state. “That’s exactly what I see.” “So what caused the wounds?” “I don’t know but I believe we can eliminate certainly guns and lasers as the heat from either a bullet ing through or a laser would certainly change the texture of the blood and heat. Also, a bullet would leave burn residual marks on the blood vessels,” Dr. Wien Bin paused almost for dramatic effect. “But I believe the instruments used to create these wounds are not known to man.”

In private, Dr. Bien had dismissed the General’s early claim about other-worldly hostile forces as utterly ridiculous. Now he was pondering the possibility as his colleague sought to narrow the explanation for such extraordinary wounds. “Do you mean some alien or aliens did this?” “Well I’m not sure what I’m saying. Let us continue our examination before we make any conclusions. Surely, there must be some other obscure explanation.” Dr. Wien Bin hung up the phone and examined the photos showing the skull interior. Looking at the photos and desiring a closer examination of the remains, he called Dr. Bien back and asked him to come to the University in Pyongyang, along with the bodies of the men and the dogs.

CHAPTER 32

T HE INCESSANT RINGING of the phone interrupted Dr. Bien’s attempts at this challenging investigation. He needed to secure a government plane and get these bodies to the University. Resigned, he answered the phone brusquely. “Dr. Bien speaking.” “This is General Chun.” “Yes, sir, General, how may I help you?” “I have two more chopper pilots with similar wounds.” “Okay, General, have the field medical examiner take them to the medical building at the University of Pyongyang as soon as they can be transported.” “Okay, Dr. Bien.” Dr. Bien hung up. The general had nearly exhausted his patience with the pathologist. Even during his own days in the medical community, General Chun viewed Dr. Bien as a haughty smartass. If he could ever extricate himself from this crisis, he would enjoy the opportunity to exact his own professional revenge upon Bien. General Chun radioed Dr. Louko. “Dr. Louko? This is General Chun.” “Yes, General, how may I help you?” “You need to place the remains of the two pilots in body bags and the two dogs and transport them to the medical building at the University of Pyongyang. Dr. Wien Bin will meet you there for further examination of the bodies.” “Will do, General Chun and we will have them ready for transport in a few minutes. Anything else?” With that, the General concluded the call and placed his radio back in his belted

carrying case. He told his men to move urgently toward Doo Man River. It was only a couple of clicks when the general heard an explosion to his right. He immediately recognized it as a volley of hand grenades. Then he heard more explosions and the screams of a few men. He rushed into the area of the explosions. He quickly surveyed the carnage: three men killed, another with a shattered leg moaning for help and yet another with a missing right arm. The general’s obscenities were heard by everyone surrounding him, as well as his flustered exclamations about being decimated by an unseen enemy. Some of the soldiers snickered to themselves as they listened to the General shout angrily about invisible aliens and enemies. Finally, aide de camp whispered in the General’s right ear and the general recovered his poise. “Men, this is a very cunning and smart enemy. Move with extreme caution. With our squads coming toward us from the river, we should soon have them in a pincer move. Carry on.” The medics quickly bandaged the wounded men and called for hospital transport evacuations. The General and his men had traveled only a few more clicks and then another explosion boomed in the distance. Three further explosions followed the explosion. The screaming of dying and wounded men filled the air. General Chun called for more transport evacuations. Confusion mounted and General Chun’s radio buzzed. He angrily jerked the radio from its belted case. “This is General Chun. What in the hell do you want?” North Korea’s leader was now on the transmission. “General Chun, I have been receiving reports regarding some problems you are having. Tell me what’s going on?” General Chun stammered and began apologizing for his tone. Nearby, soldiers were shocked to see the General appear utterly embarrassed, his shoulders stooped. The North Korean president barked into the phone. “Chun, just tell me what’s going on. Now!” The general instantly recovered himself.

“Mr. President, after the explosions at Hyesan, we have lost two choppers and two pilots. A series of rigged grenade explosions has claimed the lives of five more of my men and injured several more.” “Have you even caught a glimpse of the enemy?” The president’s tone was thick with rage now. The general stuttered at first but then recovered his stoic tone. “Not yet, Sir, but we are closing in from both sides and hope to soon have them caught in the middle as I have ten five-man squads moving westward from Doo Man River and we are moving eastward from Hyesan.” “Good. Keep me informed. , I want them alive if at all possible.” The line went dead. In the eyes of immediate witnesses, General Chun appeared shamed, emasculated. Unknowingly, ICON had inflicted deep collateral damage upon the general’s psyche and that of a desperate nation’s army.

CHAPTER 33

L EADER ONE CALLED his men around him. He decided that Freezer would be the left point man and Icicle would cover the right flank. Blue Moon and Full Moon would watch their rear. Leader One and Iceman would stay in the center. “Men, we must hurry toward the river. If you see or run into any problem our code word is “Smoke.’” The men nodded and Leader One continued. “Let’s dig some shallow graves and rest ourselves until dark. Thanks to Iceman, we have been able to listen in to their radio and we’ve heard the explosions behind us and know those coming toward us are in squads of five. If we can take out a squad, we might be able to slip through their lines and escape to the river. Okay, men, let’s eat some grubs and a few wild berries and then dig our beds and get some rest.” The rustling and crushing of dried leaves near Leader One awakened him two hours later. He opened his eyes, astonished to see three feral pigs with long tusks rooting for acorns. Leader One knew their tusks were razor sharp, ing an experience with them in Central America. One of the pigs had a piece of broken tusk in the heavy toughened skin on his left shoulder, a reminder of an apparent tussle during breeding season. Within a minute, the wind suddenly shifted and the pigs dashed away, a signal that the odor of human beings nearby had been detected. They left with great haste. Leader One had hoped the approaching soldiers would think the feral pigs was what had triggered their heat sensors. It was dark when Leader One woke again. The men quickly arose, brushed off the leaves and trash and put on their night-vision goggles. They ate some of the large larvae they had dug out the day before from some rotten tree trunks Fog had rolled into the area since sundown and it was getting thicker. The fog made it hard even with the night-vision goggles. They had moved only one or two kilometers when Freezer whispered into his radio.

“Smoke, Freezer left point.” Freezer saw the movement of someone next to a large tree, slipping up quietly, thanks to the fog, which had dampened the leaves. The person appeared to be asleep. Freezer could see the man’s eyes widen and blink as he cut his throat. He radioed. “One killed, They are near, from their radio reports, and there should be four more nearby. Over and out.” Icicle whispered into his radio. “Smoke! Smoke! I see two men.” His radio carried the sound of a rifle shot and a “whump” indicating that a bullet had found its target. Icicle fell to the ground, wounded but not before he had killed both soldiers. Leader One said, “Men, let’s move toward Icicle.” The team knew the rifle shot would alert all the squads. Leader One and the rest of the men rushed toward their wounded colleague. Iceman was the first to find Icicle, lying face down on the ground, his laser weapon in his hand. He and Iceman had been very close buddies. Though they were born in different states, they were both born on the same day, at the same time. They went to boot camp together in Kentucky, then on to Fort Meade in Maryland for specialized training. When both men were sent to South Korea, they shared the same room together. They were close. Iceman rolled his roommate over and saw the bullet had nicked the edge of his bulletproof vest entering his body just below the right clavicle and shattering his right shoulder blade on exiting his body. Iceman was frantic. “Hold on, Erick! Hold on. Don’t leave me! I’m going to put some powdered morphine in the wound. I will get you out of here.” Iceman istered a shot of penicillin to Icicle and then poured some powder morphine into the wound. He looked directly into Icicle’s eyes. “There will be soldiers swarming all over this area in a few minutes but we’re

going to make it.” Leader One picked up Icicle’s laser weapon and stowed it in Icicle’s gear. He then put his backpack over his left shoulder. Blue Moon and Full Moon cut two green trees, trimmed the branches and fashioned two poles instantly. They then took one of the small canvas tents and improvised a portable stretcher. They placed Icicle on the stretcher and the men began to jog toward the river. Their instincts were on automatic. Icicle’s heavy groaning gradually diminished as the morphine kicked in and dulled his pain. They were glad for the thick, dense fog, a serendipitous shroud for cover as they moved one and a half kilometers toward the river. However, the earliest streaks of dawn were emerging in the eastern sky and their shadows would no longer be undetectable. They could hear the shouts and noise of the soldiers descending on them, who were still about seven hundred meters away. The men could discern from their enemy’s shouts that they had found the two dead soldiers. Leader One knew it was going to be a close race to the water – as ICON was pacing about one hundred meters ahead of the advancing soldiers. He sent Blue Moon and Full Moon with Icicle ahead. Leader One, Iceman and Freezer planted some tripwires to trigger the hand grenades and then moved about another hundred yards to a rock formation. From there they planned a defense to slow the soldiers down. He felt sure that their special weapons would not only shock the enemies but also cause enough fear and confusion among the soldiers to buy them enough time to escape. Soon a barrage of rifle fire sent bullets, clipping small limbs from trees and ricocheting off the rocks. The soldiers obviously were firing blindly at unidentifiable targets. The sun finally broke through the clouds, haze and the fog. Leader One was hoping the soldiers would be delayed long enough to let Full Moon, Blue Moon and Icicle get to the river. If his calculations were correct the river was no more than three or four clicks away. The remaining ICON had their weapons trained on the area from where they had come. Thirty minutes ed before the men detected movement among the trees. The first three soldiers fell without a sound. The following soldiers soon found the three men. The strange wounds on the dead soldiers caused the men to shout and call for help. Several fired their weapons in the

direction of the river. Although trained fluently to speak the Hangul dialect, Leader One couldn’t understand all of their words but he sensed that the soldiers were thrown by what they had discovered, obviously perplexed by the fact that no noise had accompanied the use of weapons. There was one soldier with a golf ball-sized hole in his forehead, another one with a perfectly rounded wound in his chest but no outward signs of blood and the third with a perfect hole through his neck. Leader One indicated they should target three more soldiers. As they fell to the ground dead, most of the remaining soldiers – four squads of five troops each – dropped their weapons and fled. A few of the remaining soldiers, screaming and cursing, began firing wildly in the direction of the river. The strange wounds that suddenly appeared with no sound and the soldiers falling dead had struck real terror in the fleeing soldiers. There was time to escape. The men were just two clicks away from the river.

CHAPTER 34

T HWARTED AT EVERY door, General Chun’s tone and demeanor now seemed maniacal. He had talked to the soldiers coming up from the river toward Hyesan. They had made with whomever they were searching for and had lost several men and the remaining men were so frightened that they dropped their weapons and fled. At this junction of the hunt he called in some more choppers and even asked for some shoulder mounted RPG. He and his group of soldiers – that is, those who remained after he had lost twenty-seven soldiers who either were killed or wounded. They had marched all night and within a couple of hours he would hook up with the other soldiers advancing from the river. Viewing the bodies of several soldiers, he noted the same characteristics as those killed at the Hyesan nuclear plant. He called the army base in Pyongyang and requested three gunboats. He needed them placed in the river immediately. They need to do a continuous patrol of the river as far south as the forty-fifth parallel. The boats were immediately dispatched with Chun’s orders to capture and not kill the suspects. ICON hurriedly pushed on toward the river. Full Moon and Blue Moon had carried Icicle at a steady trot since leaving Leader One. They neared the river, placed Icicle’s stretcher in a shaded, wooded area, and went to scout the riverbank. They found an area with a heavy growth of reeds in the river and decided it would be a good place to hide with Icicle and wait for the rest of the men to them. They worried as they heard the numerous shots fired behind them. As Full Moon and Blue Moon made their way back to Icicle, Full Moon decided to call Leader One “Leader One, Leader One. Do you copy?” “Yes, I do copy you, Full Moon. Where are you?” “We are now on the banks of the river. We are near a large area of water which is heavy with reeds and decided we would place Icicle in his inflatable boat and wait here until either you arrive or dark comes.” “Sounds good. We are doing double time in your direction. We did copy a radio message they are sending three gunboats to patrol the river and more choppers.

The general also requested some RPGs so it may be a hot time in the old town soon.” “Hot time, Leader One?” replied Full Moon. Leader One laughed. “That’s just an old Texas saying I picked up when I was in school down in Austin. What it means is that action may soon pick up along the river, okay?” Full Moon laughed. “I like that saying.” “How is Icicle doing?” Full Moon was switching back between Korean and English. “He has a high fever and is going in and out of consciousness. We are getting ready to place some more powdered morphine into his wound and give him more water to drink.” “Sounds good. We should be there within the next hour or two. Over and out.” Leader One turned to Iceman, patting him lightly on his right shoulder. “Your buddy is doing pretty good and we are going to make it.” Leader One’s veneer seemed impenetrable. However, he knew that the odds were narrowing far quicker than he would have liked. The mission’s success was being rapidly compromised by ordinarily insignificant events. As well as contingencies had been ed for in their planning, Leader One had not conceived of the tiny slipups that had the potential of blowing this into an international drama of the first order. “That’s a relief,” replied Iceman. Freezer shouted, pointing straight ahead. “I see the river. I see the river!”

Full Moon turned to his protective charge. “Icicle, can you hear me? If you can hear me, don’t try to speak. Just nod your head.” There was no response. Full Moon sprinkled and dabbed more powdered morphine into Icicle’s wounds. Then he and his brother Blue Moon placed Icicle into his inflatable rubber boat and moved the rubber boat out into the heavy reeds. Blue Moon cut six reeds in case they needed them to breathe through should they need to go under water. As they moved the rubber boat holding Icicle into the reeds they discovered noted a rocky crag hanging out over the water. Looking closer he decided to explore the rock. Moving to the far side of the rock he saw what appeared to be a cave. However, he wasn’t sure because the reeds reaching well over six feet in height covered the shaded dark spot on the rock. If indeed it was a cave, the cover could prove life saving. Leader One, Iceman and Freezer finally reached the river. They saw the reeds but didn’t see Full Moon or anyone. Leader One picked up his radio. “Full Moon, where are you?” “Do you see the rock formation about two hundred meters downstream. We are there. We think we found a cave.” “Excellent. We will be there in a few moments.” “Full Moon, this is Iceman. How is Icicle doing?” Unsure of his medical terminology in English, Full Moon again spoke in a mix of Korean and English. “He does need medical attention. He is delirious, high fever and elapsing in and out of consciousness.” The sound of choppers approaching interrupted the conversation as Freezer shouted, “Company coming.” They all moved into the shade of the rock and stood still. Two Russian-made

choppers were flying low – about two hundred fifty meters above the water – and making their way up the river. They turned almost directly over their heads and went inland. “General Chun, this is Commander Kuhona in Chopper One. We will hover near the ground and give you the RPG and supplies. The area is too rough for landing.” “Kuhona, once we get the supplies I want your choppers to continue to fly the area between here and the river and along the river as we feel our quarry is between here and the river, I’m going to get those bastards.” Chun’s voice was thick with anger and desperation.Chapter 35 F ULL MOON DECIDED to explore the area around the rock formation. “Leader One, I’m going to check out the possibility of a cave in that rock formation. I as a child playing along this river. There were many caves, and some times I would go under water and find a cave opening. I would go in there and hide, especially when my mother was looking for me or if I just wanted to be alone.” “That’s a good idea. We could stay in there until dark and then come out and move down the river.” Freezer said, “Let me help you Full Moon.” Together they went over to the rock formation and carefully removed some of the driftwood and debris that had washed up against the rock. In a few minutes, they had removed enough that they could see what appeared to be an opening. Full Moon said, “Let me check under the water and see if there is an opening.” Freezer said, “Okay.” Full Moon went under the water and came back up within a few seconds. “Freezer, we are in luck. There is an opening. How big I don’t know. Let me remove some of the sand and see.” The opening was below the waterline and, with little effort, Full Moon had

removed enough of the sand and dirt for one man at a time to easily enter the opening. The last one entering would be able to pull some of the debris floating on the water to camouflage the opening. They were counting on the possibility that the soldiers would not think of diving into the water to check for any openings on the rock formation. They soon heard the two choppers returning and saw they were patrolling the river. In the distance they could heard the sound of approaching motorboats – no doubt Freezer thought, they were gunboats destined to seek and destroy their targets. The rest of the ICON team moved in close to the rock formation. In less than a minute Full Moon surfaced again. “Boy, I didn’t realize just how handy these little shovels the army carries in their backpack are until this trip. Anyhow, I have enough sand and dirt moved so that we can enter into the cave.” They deflated Icicle’s rubber boat, and Freezer went underwater and up into the cave. Blue Moon went in first and together they help pulled Icicle through the opening, who was now partially conscious. Following him was Iceman, Full Moon and Leader One. Leader One turned on his waterproofed flashlight, looking over the cave much like a house hunter would check out property. “This is a pretty nice cave. It looks like it might have been occupied at one time.” The cave ceiling was easily ten feet high, about twenty feet wide, and the depth he did not know. They lit two candles and with melted wax stuck them on the walls. The cave would be further explored once they settled their camp. He looked on the floor and saw a large round flat rock about three feet in diameter. Looking more closely he noted the rock had two holes bored through the rock and a heavy gauge wire had been inserted into the holes and fastened on the other side. Iceman was making Icicle more comfortable when Leader One motioned to the others. “Hey, fellows, look at this strange rock.”

As the men gathered around Leader One to see the strange rock, Full Moon’s eyes lit up. “That’s the door to this cave!” “The what?” Freezer replied. “The door. Those in times past, who lived in caves, would make a door to place over the opening to help keep wild animals and snakes out.” Iceman said, “Wow! We’re real cavemen now.” Leader One raised his right index finger. “I hope not for long.” The two Korean brothers – Full Moon and Blue Moon – saw that the stone was tilted at about a forty-five-degree angle when they rolled it into place over the opening. The stone did not lie flat and did not completely seal the opening. There was a small crack – perhaps four or five centimeters thick – around the “door” that allowed some light from the candles to filter through the cave’s entrance. Iceman opened his canteen and gave Icicle a drink of water. “Man, we’ve got to get some more advanced medical help soon for Icicle. His fever is making him delirious and I am sure he is developing a lot of infection. Does anyone have any more morphine? I’m giving him another shot of penicillin.” Blue Moon looked through his backpack, handing several packets to Iceman. “I have six packets left. Here, take them for Icicle.” Leader One opened his laptop and sent a encrypted message to Washington: “We are in a cave on Doo Man River. We will rest here and then later tonight leave for our river float trip. One man seriously wounded, really needs medical attention. We are facing numerous soldiers, several choppers and at least two gunboats. ICON GM.

He sent another message to Maria: Hi Sweetie, hope all is well, hope to be coming home soon . . . mission accomplished. Now to get home. Greco. After Leader One had stowed his laptop, he wondered if the terse message to Maria was unintentionally revealing. With Maria, even a few words represented a deep level of understanding and communication most couples hoped for in an ideal marriage. In the midst of this latest cycle of move and wait, he thought constantly about Maria, how just her mere presence was powerful enough to sustain him through this accumulating series of crises. Greco wondered if he had risked bying the threshold of luck and safety in this string of missions. Prior to making the assignment, the CIA director always went back to Greco’s efficiency and preciseness on every mission. Knowing the dangers that Greco and each member of this mission faced as well as Greco’s recent marriage to Maria, the director knew that Greco was unquestionably the best man to lead this mission. The others, at least as far as the director knew, had no families or wives. Without Maria’s knowledge, the director drew up the papers ensuring that should something happen to Greco mission, Maria and their children would receive a monthly stipend until she died or she remarried and their children finished college at the school of their choice. It provided a modicum of comfort for Greco and it reinvigorated his resolve to bring everybody home on this mission intact. When they had eaten the rest of their grubs, they gathered some berries, ate those, and washed them down with some water, Freezer, and Full Moon took their flashlights and headed toward the cave. Meanwhile, Iceman and Leader One used their flashlights to look over the ‘door” and the inside the first room of their makeshift sanctuary.

CHAPTER 36

G ENERAL CHUN AND the two groups of soldiers ed together and took the three RPGs and some hand grenades from the choppers that were to be used only when all else failed. In General Chun’s frenetic mind, all else had failed and the mission was pulsed with the raw energy of blood sport. All means were valid in stopping them, killing them. Chun’s no-holds-barred stance reflected that his retirement and his life were at stake. The endgame was in full force. He instructed the choppers to search the river and along its banks, to find whomever or whatever had leveled the two nuclear plants and had inflicted a debilitating rupture in his divisions. He called his men, numbering twenty, to attention. The general was frustrated at how quickly his men had been demoralized. “I want you men to comb the area from here to the river very carefully. Always be within two meters of each other. If you see anything please bring it to my attention immediately. We have wounded at least one. We don’t know whether they are aliens or human beings but we found blood near the area where two of our men were killed. I have sent a sample of the blood to the lab to determine the nature of the blood. We will search this area until dark, then assemble and determine our next move.” Chun paused for a moment, scanning his audience. Many of the soldiers, prisoners of their own youthful impertinence, would be too eager to score a kill. Some of Chun’s men barely looked fifteen or sixteen at most. They were children in a dangerous game. “We do not want them dead – wounded, okay – as we need them alive to determine their purposes. We need to know where they are from.” The general paused again, as a teacher might do for dramatic effect in a classroom. “I don’t think they are Russians or Chinese as they didn’t flee to their respective

borders when they were near these countries. They may be dissidents attempting to overthrow our Republic. Okay, you are dismissed.” General Chun radioed the gunboats. “Gunboats do you copy? This is General Chun. Where are you? Give me your location.” “Hello General Chun, this is Captain Chim-kee. We read you loud and clear. We are about four kilometers down the river. This is as close to you as we can get.” General Chun replied, “Why?” “Because there is a waterfall I would judge to be about ten meters high. What do you want us to do?” “We feel that our quarry is between you and us. Please continue to patrol the river from the waterfalls back toward Pyongyang for about three kilometers and wait for further instructions. Is that clear?” “Yes sir, General. Over and out.” General Chun was almost ready to pull out his hair. His men moved slowly toward the river, a distance of about two and a half kilometers. He sat down on a rock, wiped his forehead. He cursed until he was almost out of breath. He was so angry because of incompetence, lack of resources, and misplaced priorities. He thought back to his days – a young firebrand exchange student at the University of Maryland where he was for two years. From professors and fellow students, he kept hearing about Murphy’s Law. That seemed to be the default explanation for everything and suddenly the trite, overused reference seemed to be the only thing to make sense of the current situation. Despite his days as an exchange student, Chun remained unflailingly patriotic. His elderly parents lived there and when he first came home from abroad he had hoped to change things in his country but with time the idealistic dreams faded and he morphed into a staunch communist and follower of Kim Jon-il. Sitting on the rock he took his pistol – a Type 68 single action semi-automatic which holds eight rounds – from its holster and began to twist it in his left hand.

What better way to relieve myself of all this crap than to blow my brains out. General Chun always had strong morals and great ambitions especially about eradicating the entrenched poverty that defined his nation. He ed the North Korea army with hopes of becoming Taewonsu, the rank as general of the armies even more vaulted than the five-star general rank in the United States. With that, he felt he could work his way up into the government ranks but the malfunctioning dynastic family dictatorship had dashed all real possibilities. Questions about retirement now constantly occupied his mind. Now, with this fiasco facing him, the reality of even gaining his retirement as a Taejang, the equivalent to a four-star American general, seemed like a dream rapidly going the other way. The ridicule and the demotion at his failure was more than he could bear. A quick bullet to the brain would be the release from the embarrassment he would certainly face in this failure to overcome this unknown enemy. He had raised the gun to his head when his radio crackled. “General Chun. This is Sergeant Cheong-Lee. Do you copy?” Chun lowered his pistol and placed it back in its holster. “Yes, Sergeant, I copy.” “Well, sir, we have found a makeshift bloody stretcher on the banks of the river and there appear to be some footsteps in the water. We can’t tell for sure because the moving current is washing away any signs.” General Chun’s resolve was immediately transformed. “Sergeant, I will be right there.” He stood up from the rock. He started toward the river, believing that his misfortunes had been reversed. When the general arrived at the river’s bank, he looked at the bloodied stretcher. He cut a bloody patch of the canvas and placed it in a small container. He then called one of the choppers and asked them to fly the blood-soaked swatch of canvas to Pyongyang for lab tests at the medical school. He called Dr. Louko, alerting him to the sample and asking him to confirm immediately if, indeed, the

swatch was stained with human blood. Chun seemed determined to end his entertaining such fantastical notions. General Chun felt some satisfaction, and relief at Louko’s quick acceptance of the task, as he watched the chopper take the blood sample on its short journey. Chun enjoyed the strategic play of missions like these and the game had suddenly regained its currency. Chun turned to his men, bringing himself to his full stature at five feet, nine inches. “Men, take your bayonets and cut every reed below the water line and pile the reeds up on the shore. We will find these perpetrators. The men began chopping the reeds and piling them up on the shore next to the large rock cliff. As the soldiers chopped the reeds one of the soldiers near the rock was carrying an arm full of reeds when he stopped to gaze at the water. “Did you see that?” The other replied, “Did I see what?” “That light shining in the water.” “No, I didn’t see any light. It must have been a reflection off someone’s bayonet or else you’re seeing things. Did you drink too much this morning?” “Well, maybe I’m seeing things. But I swear I saw a light in the water.” The other waved off his colleague’s remarks. They continued cutting and piling the reeds against the rock. Chapter 37 F REEZER AND FULL Moon marveled at the size and length of the cave. The rooms were about two and a half meters high in the center and tapered to about one and a quarter meters on the sides. The main room was approximately fifteen meters square, and the other two rooms were larger at between twenty-five and thirty meters square. They spotted two more rooms and they discovered three skeletons. Freezer moved toward the area where the three skeletons were laid next to each other.

“Full Moon, they appear to be human.” “I wonder what they were doing in here.” “I don’t know but they have been here for a long time, at least fifty years. They are probably from the Korean war in the Fifties.” “All I see are bare bones and some hair. The hair is black and appears to be the texture of Korean hair. I wonder where their clothes are.” “They were probably prisoners and they were tortured or perhaps they were spies. At least they were executed and someone took their clothes. I don’t see anything else in the room.” “Why do you say that?” “Flash your light on the skulls.” Full Moon’s light revealed a jagged portion of the frontal skull bone blown away and a neat hole in the occipital bone.” Freezer said, “Poor bastards! They were shot execution style.” The two men left the room and continued further into the cave. Soon they reached the end of the cave, about thirty meters. They discovered two large hand-hewn wooden posts about six feet long and six inches square leaning next to a metal door. Though it showed extensive rush, they were able to open the heavy door. A rush of fresh air blasted into their faces and they stepped out into a deep ravine which now reached an estimated depth of between fifteen and twenty meters. In the distance about a kilometer away, they could see the river. Freezer patted Full Moon on his right shoulder. “What a stroke of luck. If the enemy is in the water we can go out this way and down the ravine and never be seen.” “Right, let’s get back to the others and tell them what we found.” As both men went back into the cave, they noticed two sets of large braces on each side of the door. They could drop the two wooden posts into place thus

barring the door from the outside. When they entered, they closed the door, careful not to create any additional noise. They sprinted back to the rest of the team. Reaching the first room of the cave, they saw Icicle was now coherent. Leader One looked up at the two who were smiling. “What did you find?” Freezer was like an excited boy telling his friends of what he had seen. “You wouldn’t believe what we found.” “Try me.” “First, we found several rooms and in one of the rooms we found three skeletons.” “You found three skeletons?” “Yes, and they apparently had been executed.” Iceman jumped to his feet. “How do you know they were executed?” “Each man had a neat hole in the back of their skulls.” Leader One stepped in a bit closer to Freezer. “Who were they?” “Well, we don’t know.” Icicle seemed to be much clearer now. “I mean, did they have any identification?” asked Icicle. “No, nothing.” said Freezer. “Was there any identification in their clothes?” asked Leader One.

“That’s what’s strange. All their clothing including their shoes were removed,” said Full Moon. “But that’s not all we found,” said Freezer. “What else?” asked Leader One. “We found another exit to this cave,” said Freezer. “Yeah, and it opens into a deep ravine and leads down toward the river,” said Full Moon. Freezer jumped in. “This cave must have been used a lot because there is an exit. There is a large metal door and on the outside of the door a wire mesh frame that dirt was stuffed into the mesh and over the years grass apparently has grown around it. And from the outside it would never be noticed.” Full Moon chimed in, stretching both his arms in animated motion. “Yeah, they have two large wooden beams that can be used outside to bolt the door so that whoever is inside cannot escape.” “Hey, that’s great. We will rest a little longer until it’s dark and slip out that way and go downriver,” replied Leader One. Chapter 38 I T WAS ALMOST dark when Sergeant Cheong-Lee approached General Chun. “General, we have cut all the reeds and found nothing.” “Thank you. Tell the men to camp here on the banks of the river and we will start early in the morning. We will find those sons of bitches.” It was just breaking dawn when Sergeant Cheong-Lee approached General Chun. “Good morning, General, begging your pardon, Sir, but there is a rumor going around the camp that one of our young men saw lights in the water yesterday while cutting reeds.”

“He saw a light in the water?” “Yes, sir.” “What kind of light, Sergeant?” “I don’t know, Sir.” “Where was the light in the water?” “Someone said the light was shining down in the water near the large rock formation.” “Well, Sergeant, find the man and bring him to me.” “Yes, Sir, General. Right away, Sir!” A few minutes later, he returned with a young corporal, a slender bright-eyed man about twenty years of age. He stood barely five feet, six inches. General Chun was amazed at the slight frame of his young man, thinking to himself that the corporal weighed perhaps sixty or no more than sixty-five kilos at best. “Begging your pardon, Sir. This is the man, Corporal Feng.” “Thank you, Sergeant, you’re dismissed.” General Chun turned to the nervous corporal. “Tell me what you saw yesterday afternoon when you were clearing the reeds from the water.” “Yes Sir, General, Sir. It was toward evening and I do not the exact time. We were cutting the reeds and clearing them from the water as instructed. I was carrying a large armful of them to place on the bank. It was near the rock formation that I saw the light. It was just a flash. I saw it twice. It was like lightning.” “Well, Corporal, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky yesterday afternoon.” “No, Sir, but I mean it was just a flash. I mentioned it to another soldier and he said maybe it was a reflection from someone’s bayonet or a reflection of the sun.

He did not see it. It could not have been the sun, Sir, as the sun was in the west and the front of the rock formation where the reeds were growing faces the east toward the river. Sir!” “That’s very observant. Corporal Feng, you are correct about the rock formation facing the east. Is there anything else?” “No, Sir, General.” “Okay Corporal Feng you are dismissed.” He may be slender and short but he is an observant man. If he continues he might become a profoundly important man in the army – a real rising star.

CHAPTER 39

I T WAS ALMOST 2100 hours when ICON implemented its escape plan, first using whatever skin pigment cream was left in each man’s provisions. Everyone donned his night-vision goggles and Leader One sent an encrypted progress report to Washington: North Korean soldiers, on land, gunboats on the river, they surround us and we are in a cave. We have found an exit to this cave. The exit opens into a long, deep ravine that leads down toward the river. The ravine appears to be about three or four clicks long. One man wounded by GSW and one with a turned ankle. It is 2100 hours and we are preparing to leave, hoping the enemy has not found the exit to this cave. Icon GM Leader One turned to his crew. “Are your weapons fully charged? If so, let’s roll.” Freezer led the way up the path inside the cave. He stopped to show Leader One the three skeletons. Each man scoured the spot, and the men carefully turned the skeletons over. Hearing a clinking sound that was magnified in the cave interior, Freezer dug through a shallow layer of dust, finding three sets of dog tags. The numbers were 500-32-4344, 502-33-6788 and 490-13-4343. Apparently, the North Koreans had dumped the bodies of executed American soldiers in the cave. Full Moon said, “At last their families will know the truth about what happened to them.” Icicle said, “The families can now have a service and a proper burial for their loved ones. The true process of healing can now begin.” The men remained silent for a full two minutes. Leader One told Full Moon and Blue Moon to place all the remains into separate body bags and carry them.

It was 2230 hours when the group moved on toward the exit. Freezer opened the exit door very carefully and looked out. It was quiet. They all quickly moved out of the cave taking the two large wooden beams with them. They closed the door and placed the two large wooden beams into place, thus barring the door from the outside so no one could get out. It took three of them to move the beams into place. Leader One said, “That won’t stop them if they find the cave but it will slow them down and buy us a little more time.” Icicle was doing well and the Ace bandage on his ankle was keeping the swelling down and providing . He was doing fine. It was 0300 hours when they reached the river. With their goggles, they could see that the river led to the base of the waterfalls, approximately half a kilometer away. The ground dropped quite rapidly, about two hundred meters, and the waterfalls were between eight and ten meters high. Leader One told the others that explained why the gunboats didn’t come up the river. Inside the cave, they were unable to hear any radio messages. As they all huddled on the riverbank, they could see one of the gunboats with its huge spotlight sweeping up and down the shoreline. The thick bushes shielded them from detection. One of the men recognized the almost impenetrable thicket as Bush honeysuckle. It was laced with lianas and these species were Vitis coignetiae, Actinidia arguta and Wisteria floribunda. Leader One said, “Men take your weapons and we will aim for three different areas along the waterline of the boat and let’s sink it – like the Molly Brown.” The arcane pop culture reference puzzled the young sector in the team: a fleeting reminder that Leader One was of a different generation. In a few minutes the mission had been completed. It would take a while to fill the hull with water but the gunboat was on its way down. As quietly as possible they moved down the riverbank, moving only when the spotlight was not targeted toward them. A second spotlight on the boat’s stern, however, illuminated all six men. Like hail falling on a tin roof bullets began to slice through the air. They clipped limbs, leaves, ricocheting off rocks. Leader One knew the sound of that weapon – a QJY-88, a five-point-eight millimeter machine gun manufactured by the Chinese who copied a Russian design. The weapon is automatically recoil operated and belt fed, capable of firing machine gun as well as rifle bullets. ICON knew its range is three thousand meters and is

fitted with optical sight and night vision input. Suddenly, a third spotlight from the boat’s stern came on and more bullets pierced the air. Leader One shouted, “Take out those spotlights.” Three laser guns fired at the stern spotlights. They immediately extinguished the boat spotlights. The Americans heard screams and shouts as the gunboat and its crew slipped quickly to its watery grave.

CHAPTER 40

I T WAS NEAR dawn when General Chun rose from his bed. He was grumpy, angry and frustrated. He had wrestled all night with the strange lights in the water. He finally had devised his end-game plan. “Captain Chim-Kee, this is General Chun. Do you copy?” Again, General Chun heard dead silence. After several futile attempts, he still received no response. Frustrated more than ever, General Chun called his special gunnery group. When the three-man team reported, the General pointed at the rock. “Men, I want all of you to aim at the front formation of the rock about two meters back from the face and space your shots perpendicular one meter apart starting at the water line. I want you to fire simultaneous. Any questions?” The general paused to see each man’s assurance. “Good, prepare your RPGs as soon as possible.” In five minutes, the men were ready. The other soldiers stood back, thinking the General had gone berserk. The gunnery sergeant gave the firing order. Simultaneously, the rocket launchers belched forth with an ear-splitting blast forth their deadly payload at a large rock formation. When the smoke had subsided and the flying slivers, shards, and pellet-sized chunks of rock had settled, the general took up his binoculars and saw a small hole barely above the water line. He ordered his men to remove the chunks of fallen rock. Again, he called Captain Chim-Kee. There was only silence on the radio. General Chun anxiously tried to fathom what had happened to the gunboats. However, he was drawn back to the hole in the rock formation. He made his way toward the rock formation – a distance of more than seventy-five meters – and was almost there when some of the men noticed the cave.

The general now waded into the river with a quickened pace, thinking the blast would have killed whomever was ensconced in the cave. He placed a headlamp on his head, and then he carefully ascended into the cave. Several soldiers carrying flashlights ed him. They saw some empty morphine packets, some bloody canvas, two discarded facial cream containers, and melted candle wax on the walls and the cave floor. The evidence was fresh. Chun knew that somebody must have been in the cave within the last forty-eight hours. He saw some stillfresh footprints in the floor’s soft clay. General Chun drew his Type 68 semi-automatic weapon. He and five soldiers trudged laboriously through the craggy cave. They found where someone had recently dug in the cave floor. They searched each room but found nothing. Reaching the end of the cave they came to the large metal door and tried to push it open. After several attempts in vain, one of the soldiers set off a small explosive charge and ran far enough back to avoid any flying shrapnel. The charge blew the door open. General Chun saw the deep ravine leading toward the river and he surmised where the quarry had gone. It was more important now than ever to reach Captain Chim-Kee. Meanwhile ICON quickened its own pace, hearing first the blast at the rock formation and the second that unleashed the cave door. The showdown was inevitable.Chapter 41 “G ENERAL CHUN, THIS is Captain Mook. I heard your radio message to Captain Chim-Kee. I, too, have been unable to him. He was working the river from the waterfalls to about three kilometers downstream. I am heading toward his location now and I will keep you informed of my findings. I did hear some heavy gun fire around 0300 hours this morning.” “Thanks, Captain Mook. I firmly believe our quarry is headed down river. If you see anything, send up a flare. We are coming downriver. Over and out.” Captain Mook’s gunboat moved upstream a half kilometer toward the falls. He advised his crew to watch the riverbanks for movement of any time. Captain Mook took his binoculars and scanned the river ahead. He saw the falls but no gunboat. He called General Chun. “General, I am looking at the falls and I do not see our other gunboat.”

“What do you mean you don’t see another gunboat? It has to be there. It can’t just disappear into thin air.” “General, I will continue to the falls. I am about two kilometers from the falls now. Over and out.” It was about thirty minutes later when General Chun received another radio call. “General Chun, this is Captain Mook. Do you copy me?” “Yes I do, Captain. What have you found?” “I’m looking and I see no… wait a minute, I do see a portion of a radio antenna and flag sticking out of the water. It appears the boat sank in about nine meters of water. Over.” “Captain! Captain! We see Captain Chim-Kee waving from the shore.” “Wait a minute, General. Some of my men see Captain Chim-Kee waving from the shore. We are maneuvering toward him now.” Captain Mook replied, “What?” “No, He doesn’t appear to be injured. Just a minute. We are almost to him.” “What happened?” Captain Mook’s crew helped Captain Chim-Kee aboard. “General Chun wants to talk with you,” said Captain Mook. General Chun said, “What happened?” “Our gunboats are equipped with the latest technology. Our QJY 88 mounted machine guns had been fitted with optical sight for night vision input. The gunner saw movement and I ordered him to open fire. I’m not really sure what we saw. We did, however, see movement on the shore. I turned on the three stern spotlights and suddenly they shattered. I heard no shots, nothing.” “You heard no shots?” “That’s right. Almost immediately afterward, crew sleeping below and

mechanics in the engine room reported extremely large amounts of water pouring into our boat. It began to sink. It went straight down. All my men are lost. I am the only survivor.” The general said nothing for what seemed a long minute. He couldn’t believe that these men had escaped with barely a trace of noise or debris. His internal frustration had metastasized through his mind and body. He wanted to end his enemy’s apparently incredible charmed life. Two of the sergeants came running and said, “General, what’s the matter?” “What do you mean what’s the matter?” “Well you are screaming and shouting, do you feel well?” “Hell yes, I feel well. I just need to catch those sons of bitches.” The men were surprised by their superior’s unraveling. None could recall an instance where the General had unleashed the rawest, anger-fueled strings of expletives. Even more bewildering was the General’s unrestrained proclamation that he was the greatest general ever in Korean history.

CHAPTER 42

I N RECORD HASTE, Leader One sent a detailed encrypted progress report to Washington. To all parties concerned we are about two clicks below the falls on Doo Man River. A General Chun pursues us. I have two injured men, Sgt. Erick with a GSW and Sgt. Wesley with a sprained ankle. We are about one click north of a large waterfall on Doo Man River. We found the dog tags and the remains of three American soldiers. They were killed execution style. They have bullet holes in the back of the head. We are bringing their remains and the dog tags with us in a body bag. If all goes well we should float into the bay at Nampo. However we may get out at Pyongyang and make our way across to the DMZ and leave the same way we came in . . . We will keep you advised. ICON GM. In post-haste, he knew he couldn’t move forward without sending a quick note to Maria. It had been three days since he last communicated with her. Hi Babe, hope all is well we are just a few days from being back in Seoul, Korea. Don’t worry everything is going well. I Love you! Greco He closed his laptop. “Okay, let’s move out and hustle to travel farther down the river before dark. Icicle, how are you making it?” “I’ll make it. I didn’t lose anything in this God-forsaken country. I’m ready, however, for another shot of morphine.” Leader One said, “How about you, Iceman?” Iceman laughed and clumsily tried a couple of dance steps. “Hey man I can dance a jig. I can run a foot race if it isn’t more than ten or fifteen yards. Of course, I would probably lose!”

Leader One said, “We know from listening to the radio they have found the sunken boat and Captain Chim-Kee has told General Chun that his boat was sunk. He just doesn’t know what happened. Their air force will have choppers all over the place soon. Keep a sharp lookout and stay in cover as much as possible. Okay?” ICON started down to the mouth of Doo Man River. They were all anxious to get home. It was mid afternoon when they reached the mouth of the river where it emptied into the Tae Dong River. The river was, at most, three times larger than Doo Man. The heavy rains in the northern part of the country had swollen the river to flood stage. The water was moving very swiftly. Leader One spoke to his men. “This is a heavily wooded area. We will move up the hill, dig ourselves some shallow graves to sleep in after we have buried our backpacks. Keep your weapons handy. At dark, we will move to the river, inflate our rubber boats and float down the river. The river is swollen from the recent heavy rains so that is to our benefit. The trees lining the river will give us cover. We will travel at night on the water. Hopefully this will be easy.”

CHAPTER 43

“T HIS IS GENERAL Chun, ID number 32890056 to base in Pyongyang. Do you copy?” “Hello, General. Yes, we do copy you loud and clear, how may we help you?” “I need several choppers to heavily patrol up the river to the falls on Doo Man River. I am in pursuit of several suspects who may have set explosive in the Chongjin nuclear plant as well as the nuclear plant in Hyesan and plus killed and wounded several soldiers, shot down two choppers, and sunk one gunboat. I want them alive if, at all possible. Do you copy my instructions?” “Yes sir, General!” General Chun placed a call to the president. The phone rang several times before the executive secretary answered and immediately patched him into the president. “How is the hunt going?” The general’s nervousness cracked through. “Well, sir, we know those we are chasing are the same ones who dropped the special jars near the bus wreck a few weeks ago and the same ones who hid their backpacks. We suspect they are the same ones who bombed the Hyesan nuclear plant. They hid in a cave just above the falls on Doo Man River. It was there we found more empty pigment jars. Apparently some of them are injured. We know for sure that one is injured. We found bloody rags and empty morphine packages inside the cave.” General Chun could hear the president sigh and slap his hand on the desk. “General, where are they? I do not give a damn about empty face cream jars. You are not answering my question. I am asking you again. Where are the perpetrators?”

“We think they are headed downriver toward the Tae Dong.” Again, the general heard the president slap his hand on the desk. “General, you are trying my patience. I don’t give a damn where you think they are headed I want their ass in a sling. Do you UNDERSTAND ME? If the job is too big for you to handle, tell me and I will get someone who can do the job. Be honest enough to tell your leader the truth.” The general wasted no time. “Yes sir, Mr. President.” Chapter 44 “U NIVERSITY OF PYONGYANG, how may I direct your call?” “Yes, this is General Chun and I need to speak immediately to Dr. Wien Bin at the university medical building.” The general was immediately transferred. “This is Dr. Louko speaking.” “This is General Chun. Is Dr. Wien Bin in?” “Yes, General, he is in. Please hold. He will be with you momentarily.” The line was quiet for a few seconds before Louko returned to the line. “General Chun, he asked if he can call you back as he is almost finished with the autopsy on one of the cadavers he is working on.” “That will be fine.” It was almost two hours later before Dr. Wien Bin returned the general’s call. Meanwhile, General Chun called the national air force and asked for more choppers to cover the river from the mouth of Doo Man River to Nampo. “I need at least five choppers flying from Nampo to the mouth of the Doo Man River. I need them twenty-four/seven until these unknown predators are killed or captured.”

“You’ve got them, Sir. They shall be in the air within the hour.” “I want them to search the banks of the river for any movement and the river for possible floating rubber boats or any other type of boat. Ask their commander to report to me any thing they see. Advise the pilots to be wary of these predators. They have some mysterious weapon in their possession. They have already shot down two choppers, sunk a gunboat, killed guard dogs, killed and wounded several soldiers and disrupted two of our nuclear plants.” “Very good, we will advise them to use extreme caution and to report any sightings to you.” The general was surprised that things had moved with such blistering efficiency. Normally, the state’s enormous bureaucracy would have confounded any requests. Indeed, the state’s mere survival may now have turned on his capacity to identify and thwart this disappearing enemy. Turning to his troops on the ground he said, “Men, we have a very dangerous enemy or enemies out there and I want you sergeants to form squads of five men each and spread out working your way to the mouth of Doo Man River. Stay in radio . If you see anything move shoot it. If possible, strive to wound them to incapacitate them. Do I make myself clear?” The men responded in near unison.” “Okay why are you standing here? Get your fruit asses moving, now” The general’s mobile phone rang loudly. “General Chun, this is Dr. Wien Bin. I apologized for being unable to talk earlier. I was up to my elbows in blood and guts if you know what I mean.” The general was terse. He had no time for small chatter. “Tell me. What did you find?” The doctor seemed to draw out his words. He secretly delighted in teasing the General. “Well, General, we have completed the autopsies on the two dogs and the two

soldiers killed.” The general was pacing like a caged dog now. “So what did you find out?” “Well, pretty much what we already know. Whatever they used and again I suspect it is some type of laser because it cauterized the bone. Looking at the slides under the stereomicroscope, I noted it sealed the blood vessels but did not cause any congealing of the blood. Nerves next to the wounds do not appear damaged. The only answer or conclusion that I can come to is some type of laser.” “Really? Some type of laser?” “Yes. The slides on the dogs and the soldiers were consistent in the findings.” Muttering more to himself than the doctor, General Chun sighed. “I must capture those bastards even if it’s the last thing I do.” “What did you say?” “Nothing, Doc. Just talking to myself. Keep me informed regarding the autopsy of the pilots.” The line went silent. The general stopped himself short from slamming his phone into the ground.Chapter 45 G ENERAL CHUN HAD the squads of five soldiers each spread out about three hundred meters. They worked within the form of an arc with the outer squads coming back to the area near the mouth of the two rivers. It was almost dark when the soldiers reported to General Chun. They had arrived at the mouth of Doo Man River and awaited the general’s arrival. Leader One heard voices of soldiers acknowledging Chun’s order. One of them said that the General believes the perpetrators were going to try to use the river to escape going downstream to Pyongyang. Leader One and the rest of his team rose as quietly as possible from their buried

beds. They gathered their backpacks and put on their night vision goggles. They tried to remain quiet except for the small sound of branch twigs snapping as they tried to lift the injured Icicle into the rubber boat. Meanwhile, the men could hear the North Korean soldiers. One said, “Well, I’m really tired of chasing the mysterious bogey man. If they are not aliens then they have to be humans and strangely we have never seen them.” Another said, “Yeah, you’re right. Maybe it’s just some mysterious weapons they are wanting to try out to see how we will react.” “Yeah that’s probably the tru… what’s that?” “What’s what?” “Didn’t you hear that? It sounds like some twigs breaking?” “No, you’re getting jumpy. You’re just hearing things.” “No, I heard something and I’m going to investigate.” He located the space where the twigs had been snapped. Leader One thought immediately that their laser weapons could start a fire and thwart the soldier’s attention. He flipped a switch on the side of his weapon, pointed it toward some heavy brush about forty meters away, and the brush burst instantly into bright large flames. He set two more fires around a rough perimeter about the same distance. ICON now heard the small squad of soldiers shouting for help and heard another group move toward them. The diversion had worked as the soldiers furiously tried to squelch the brush fires with small plumes of smoke billowing rapidly into the air. Now, the men moved rapidly toward the river. Once in the water they pulled the inflation cord on Icicle’s rubber boat, which caused a thumping “whump” sound as the boat hit the water. The men loaded Icicle into the first rubber boat. There were several more “whumps” as the other rubber boats were inflated. A pair of soldiers who had rushed to the spot where the brush fires started turned around as they heard the “whump” sounds from the riverbank. One of them shouted that

he had seen the escaping men. He raised his rifle and fired. The first shot instantly killed Full Moon – Kwon. His rubber boat sank, and the raging waters of the flood stage river swept away his body. Bullets were flying through the air, piercing the water. Leader One flipped the switch on his weapon to burn and pointed it at one of the soldiers who immediately burst into flames, his scream snapped in mid gasp. His fellow soldier who ran to help him also burst into flames as another soldier pushed him into the swollen river and the strong current carried him away to his death. Now, confusion caused the other squads to scramble about, screaming frantically. They were cursing and screaming for help as a strong southerly breeze whipped the brush fire into flames that now licked the under branches of trees. The dry leaves on the ground fueled the spread of the fire and the blaze was out of control. Not one soldier was fighting the fire now. In near chaos, Sergeant Houk radioed General Chun. “General Chun, this is Houk. Do you copy?” There was silence. Houk now shouted. “General Chun, this is Sergeant Houk. Do you copy?” This time, the general, obviously irritated, replied. “Yes, sir. Sergeant Houk, I copy you but when you’re taking a shit sometimes you can’t answer right away.” “I understand.” “Well, what do you want?” “General, we have engaged the suspected enemy.” “Really? Where are you Sergeant?” “We are at the mouth of Doo Man and Tae Dong. We need reinforcements badly. We have a raging fire out of control. The enemy has gotten into the river and they are using rubber boats. We are sure we have killed one of them. His rubber

boat sank and so did he. But the strangest thing happened. Two of our men burst into flames. One of them exploded. We shoved the other one into the water. We need choppers to dump water on the fire. It’s out of control.” “Right away. I will be there shortly.” The General stopped for a second and spoke again. “By the way, what do you mean by two of our men burst into flames and one exploded? Did they throw phosphorus hand grenades? The Sergeant replied, “No!” The General jumped in before the Sergeant could continue. “When you engaged the enemy, were they using flame throwers or throwing phosphorous grenades?” “No!” Again, the General interrupted. “Then what in the hell happened?” “General, I don’t know what happened. Just suddenly these two men burst into flames and the pine trees also burst into flames. No noise, no sounds except when the one man exploded.” Houk’s adrenaline was rushing now. He dispensed with the usual radio protocol and shut his device off. General Chun keyed his radio. “Dispatcher, this is General Chun ID Number 32890056. We have a fire raging out of control. We need choppers to bring water to stop the fires at the mouth of Tae Dong and Doo Man. Do you copy?” “Three choppers are on their way. Do you copy?” General Chun affirmed, and then turned to his men, nearly one hundred seventyfive troops.

“The enemy has been sighted near the mouth of the Tae Dong. We will do double time to reach there as soon as possible. Men, we are about to capture the most elusive prey that I have ever chased.”

CHAPTER 46

L EADER ONE OPENED his laptop to send his latest report to Washington. We are under heavy gunfire . . . One of our guides Mr. Kwon – code name Full Moon – was shot and is presumed dead. His rubber boat sank and the swift flooding waters carried him away. We are in the flooded Tae Dong River and floating rapidly toward Pyongyang. We are staying close as possible to the river’s edge under the heavy wooded trees on the west bank of the river. Hopefully, we will be home in a few days. ICON GM. Above the roar of the rushing water Leader One shouted into his radio. “Iceman, do you copy me?” “Yes, Sir. I’m a-okay.” “Freezer?” “Freezer, do you copy me?” “Yes, Sir. All is okay. However, I saw Full Moon’s rubber boat sink out of sight.” “Yes, he was shot and I presumed killed as I saw him go under but he never came up.” “Icicle, do you copy me?” There was no reply. Leader One tried again. “Icicle, do you copy me?” They all heard the attempted keying of his radio and a groan. “Freezer, try to find Icicle in the dark. It will be hard but try.”

“Yes, Sir.” “Blue Moon, do you copy?” “Yes, sir. Are you okay?” “I’m sorry but it looks like we lost your brother. Did you hear Freezer’s message regarding your brother?” “Yes, Sir, I did. He was a good man. He was a loving brother and faithful to his family. We will miss him but he died for a good cause.” Blue Moon’s reaction struck him as being strangely matter of fact. “Yes, I am okay and I do have my hand on Icicle’s rubber boat.” “Okay, hold on to his boat. Freezer, get over to Blue Moon and give me Icicle’s condition. Also take his special weapon. We may need it and he is in no condition to use the weapon.” “Yes, sir!” “Men, if we get separated each is on his own to either float out to sea at Nampo or cut across the country to Cheong’s house and then to safety. When daybreak comes we want to find a heavily wooded area, deflate our boats and if necessary we will use our reeds and stay under water as much as possible. Maybe we will get lucky and find another cave.” The shouts and the blasts of noise from the soldier’s guns gradually faded into the distance as ICON moved down the swiftly moving Tae Dong River. “Leader One, this is Freezer. Do you copy?” “Yes, Freezer. Go ahead.” “Sir, I am looking at Icicle. He has a suffered a head wound. We will try to get to the bank and bandage his head. He is unconscious.” Freezer and Blue Moon were able to get Icicle over to the bank, pull him out of his rubber boat, bandage his head but he was still unconscious. The wound on

first look didn’t look too serious. It appeared as if the bullet had just grazed his head. However, a closer look confirmed the more serious suspicion about a severe concussion. “Leader One? This is Freezer. We have bandaged Icicle but he is unconscious and appears to be in serious condition. The bullet grazed his head.” “Good job, Freezer. If you are ready let’s move out and continue downriver. Freezer did you get Icicle’s weapon?” “No, Sir. I couldn’t find it. Maybe when he was shot he dropped it into the water.” “Yeah, maybe. You’re probably right.” Despite the setbacks, for the first time in the last two weeks, Leader One began to feel that at least some of them would make it home. The next several hours were uneventful. They heard the choppers overhead and they saw the large containers the choppers were using to ferry water for the fires. Leader One decided to estimate the speed of the river current. Judging from the shoreline perspective, he guessed that it was about fifteen to twenty knots per hour. Doing the quick conversion where knot is 1.1516 miles per hour, he figured they were traveling at anywhere between seventeen and twenty three miles per hour. With that, Leader One estimated that with daybreak they would have traveled anywhere between one hundred fifty and one hundred seventy-five miles downstream. With two nights travel to reach the DMZ, Leader One estimated that ICON would cross safely into friendly borders about midnight on the following day.

CHAPTER 47

G ENERAL CHUN ARRIVED at the scene of the fire and where the enemy had been first engaged shortly before daybreak. The choppers continued dropping water on the fire and in eight hours, the fire was under control. “Men, when we put the fire out I want us to search this area very carefully and see if they left any evidence we can use against them when we catch them. We will catch them, won’t we, men?” The thirty-five squads shouted affirmatively in unison. At daybreak, the soldiers began a thorough search of the area. They found nothing except the shallow graves where the perpetrators had slept and the larger hole that contained some equipment, probably some backpacks. “Men, let’s search the riverbanks carefully since one of the men is almost certain he shot one of them. If you see anything do not touch it. Just call me. Is that understood?” Again the squads responded in unison. One of the men stepped forward. “General, we found some empty shell casings near the river.” “Okay, don’t touch them.” With rubber gloves on his hands, the general walked over and picked up several of the shell casings and placed them in a plastic bag. Another soldier approached Chun. “General, over here. We have a strange looking weapon.” He turned around and walked about a dozen or so steps and noticed the weapon on the ground. It had the shape of a handgun yet the general’s instincts suggested this was no ordinary weapon. He picked up the strange-looking weapon, carefully examined it, pointed it at a tree and squeezed the trigger and it

immediately produced a round neat hole in a tree. The General raised his right fist triumphantly. “At last! I have one of their weapons. Let me call the President.” The General’s excited state nearly overwhelmed him as he tried to patch into the President’s office. “Is he expecting your call?” “Yes, he wanted me to call him regarding a military matter.” “Just a moment please.” The President’s tone was irritated, ominous. “Chun, what do you have for me? Have you captured the perpetrators?” “No, but we have killed one of them. I now have one of their weapons in my possession.” “What kind of weapon is it?” “I think it is, without doubt, one of the strangest weapons I’ve ever seen. With your permission, I would like to fly with the weapon to the science and physics lab at Pyongyang University.” “General Chun, permission is granted. Keep me informed of the progress.” Chun now radioed into the dispatcher at air force central. “I need a chopper to pick me up as soon as possible at the head of the Tae Dong.” “Right away, General.” General Chun waited ninety minutes for the chopper to arrive. He punched another button on the weapon, pointed it at a tree and squeezed the trigger. The pine tree instantly burst into flames. Chun continued to examine the weapon, looking at every square centimeter to

see if he could discern its otherworldly properties. Deep in his own fascination, he nearly forgot the larger mission of capturing the man or men who held such a strange weapon. The whirring blades of the chopper landing shocked him back into his current reality. General Chun unbuttoned his coat, slipped the weapon into his waistband and buttoned his coat as he climbed into the chopper, sat down in a seat, buckled the safety belts and said, “Commander, I need you to take me to the University of Pyongyang.” The chopper lifted into the air and headed toward the University, some two hundred seventy-five kilometers away. They would be there in less than two hours. Meanwhile, General Chun called Dr. Wien Bin. “Doctor, I think I have the weapon that has caused all the strange happenings.” “Really, Chun?” “Yes, can you arrange for the heads of the science and physic labs to meet at once with you and me.” “Yes, I will ask them to stand by immediately.” “Also, would you meet me at the helicopter pad with some transportation?” “Yes, I will be there.” Dr. Wien Bin was waiting at the helicopter pad with a limo and driver when General Chun arrived. “General, by the look of your smile, you must be on to something.” “Yes, yes. I am ready to go.” “Okay, where is this mysterious weapon?” “I am carrying it in the waistband of my tros.” “Carrying it in your waistband? Is it that small?”

“Yes, it’s like a handgun – about the size of a nine millimeter.” “Really? It’s that small!” “Yes it is. Dr. Wien Bin, you have to see this. It is hard to conceive a weapon such as this exists.” “I have Dr. Chim-Lee, head of the science department and Dr. Kimouck of the physics department. Both are waiting in the physics lab. Kimouck also heads up our newly opened research department.” It was a short four-minute ride to the physics building. Dr Wien Bin turned to General Chun and said, almost with the glee of a boy who’s received a new toy. “Let’s go inside and see this marvelous weapon.” Dr. Chim-Lee was a tall thin man with white hair, a soul patch, and he wore black-rimmed glasses. At seventy-one, he held the university’s tenure record at thirty-seven years. He was soft spoken. He was known as a man of very few words but of brilliant intellect. He turned to his guests and escorted them in silence through the labyrinth into his lab.

CHAPTER 48

A LL THREE MEN went through a security check and continued following the arrows pointing toward the lab. Dr. Chim-Lee rapped lightly on the door as he entered silently. Dr. Kimouck, who had been studying papers at his desk, looked up and stood from his chair. He walked around his desk, extended his hand to the general. General Chun shook hands with his host. “I’ve heard so much about you. It is good to meet you in person.” “Thank you. I understand you have something you want us to test?” The general pulled the prized weapon from his waistband and handed it to Dr. Kimouck. The scientist examined the weapon for a few seconds. “Very interesting. We have an indoor firing range in the west end of the building. We have set up several different scenarios in a controlled environment hoping we can duplicate the wounds we have seen on the dogs, the soldiers and the shearing of the metal on the helicopters.” Entering the firing range room Dr. Kimouck turned on the lights. General Chun was amazed as he looked around the room. He saw two human skulls, an embalmed cadaver seated in a chair, the brackets from a helicopter, an embalmed dog and a large tree limb mounted on a base. “General, are these similar to your situations in the field?” “Yes, Sir, Doctor. They are.” “Okay, General, you are much more familiar with firearms use than I so let’s start with the skulls.”

The general moved the switch on the side of the weapon to the kill position and pointed it toward the first skull, squeezing the trigger gently. Everyone gasped when almost instantly an entry and exit hole appeared in the first skull. There was no beam of light – no sound – just the destruction. Dr. Wien Bin’s mouth opened and closed several times but no sound emerged. Finally he gasped, “What kind of weapon is this?” Dr. Kimouck mouth just gaped opened and his eyes starred in unbelief, he rubbed his eyes, blinked and looked again it was still unchanged. Dr. Chim-Lee, normally reticent, was uncharacteristically emotional. “What a weapon of death and destruction. The development of this weapon will change the way we fight wars in the future. A more powerful weapon will shoot down spy satellites.” The others nodded, each man with broad smiles. Dr. Kimouck picks up his two-way radio and called for some photographers to come immediately to the firing range room and bring their video and digital equipment. While waiting for the photographers Chun fired the weapon at the second skull. It had the same type of results: an entry and exit wound approximately two centimeters in diameter. Dr. Kimouck’s scientific demeanor had slackened. “What kind of weapon is this? Do you realize that with this type of weapon we can destroy spy satellites, which attempt to be watchdogs over our nuclear plants? We need to improve this to the extent that we can shoot satellites down that spy on us.” Like the others in the room, General Chun was hardly able to contain his own excitement. In his mind, he was already seeing the decorations, retirement money, promotion and the encomiums that would ring throughout the country. All four men were still standing in awe when the photographers entered the room. They shot digital pictures of the skulls and videos of the scene. Dr. Kimouck asked them to stay and record the rest of the demonstrations. Next, General Chun placed the weapon on fire and aimed at the tree, squeezed

the trigger and immediately the tree branch burst into flames. The only noise in the room was the whirr of the video and digital cameras. “Okay,” Dr. Kimouck said, “Let’s try it on the structures from the helicopters. Place it back on kill and fire at the metal.” Instantaneously the metal sheared into two pieces. Dr. Kimouck turned to General Chun, Dr. Chim-Lee and Dr. Wien Bin. “Are you sure these perpetrators are humans?” Dr. Chim-Lee again uncharacteristically forward, chimed in. “Yes, I’m wondering this as well.” General Chun replied, “I have never seen them but some of my men have shot them and I sent a blood sample to you, Dr. Wien Bin.” “Yes, yes, I forgot. Let me call one of the secretaries in my office and ask them for a report,” replied Dr Wien Bin. He called his office but received no answer. Thinking that it was odd at 1800 hours that no one would answer, he left to go retrieve the report. Meanwhile, Chun excused himself to go to the restroom, which Dr. Kimouck said was in the hall just two doors to the left of Dr. Kimouck’s office. “Wait a minute. I forgot we are in the firing range room. Just go out the front doors and it’s the first door on right.” Chun left the room while the two remaining scientists – Chim-Lee and Kimouck – continued discussing the weapon’s possibilities. The photographers continued to take pictures and do close-ups of the entry and exit wounds on the cadavers. Doctor Kimouck mentioned to his colleague that the lightweight weapon did not weigh more than the government’s Type 68 semi-automatic pistol. What intrigued him was how it was to be loaded. He carefully checked the weapon and found no place for reloading. He checked the buttons on the side of the gun: kill, fire, stun. Up near the weapon’s barrel was an unmarked switch.

“Dr. Chim-Lee, you look at the weapon and tell me what you think.” The colleague now seemed to return to his usual reticent character. He just said, “It appears to be the discovery of the 21st century.” General Chun felt much better. At least, he did not feel like his eyeballs were floating anymore. He flushed the toilet and washed his hands, pulled a paper towel from the towel dispenser and dried his hands, looked at himself in the mirror and whispered to no one in particular. “General Chun, you are getting old. Look at your hair. It is almost completely white. I can when your jet black wavy hair and handsome face turned many a young lady’s head.” Throwing the paper towel into the waste dispenser, he opened the men’s door and walked into the hall. When he entered the firing range room, he saw Dr. Kimouck and Dr. Chim-Lee carefully looking over the gun. “Pretty neat, eh, doctors?” Dr. Kimouck replied, “Yes it’s the most unusual weapon I’ve ever seen. Tell m…” The ringing of the phone interrupted him in mid-sentence. It was Dr. Wien Bin. Dr. Kimouck turned to General Chun. “That was Dr Wien Bin and he said the blood sample you found in the woods where two soldiers were killed is human blood. He will be delayed for a while as he is bringing his portable stereomicroscope and we can all view the other slides as well as the current digital photos taken in here.” Dr. Kimouck paused. “Now again, General Chun, tell me what is this button near the barrel used for?” “I don’t know. I have not pressed that button. I have only pressed the kill button and the fire button. I understand the stun button. Let’s put it on kill and shear another piece of metal, okay?”

“Sure,” Dr. Kimouck said. General Chun set the kill button and pointed it at the piece of metal – an eightcentimeter thick plate of armor similar to what is found on the old Soviet-made tanks – that was set up for experimenting. He gently squeezed the trigger mechanism and nothing happened. Alarmed, he pointed the weapon toward the tree, set the fire button and again squeezed the trigger. Once again, nothing. The general’s face paled. “I wonder what we did.” Dr. Kimouck said, “Why don’t we press that button near the end of the barrel maybe it’s a reset button.” “That sounds like a good idea,” General Chun said as he pressed the button.

CHAPTER 49

D R. WIEN BIN had just entered the physics building carrying the stereomicroscope when a huge blast blew the firing range doors open. The blast of compressed air knocked Dr. Wien Bin down. Falling he lost his glasses. He dropped the stereomicroscope. Fumbling around he finally found his eyeglasses. One lens was cracked and the other lens was gone. “Shit! What else can happen now?” he screamed. Picking up the shattered stereomicroscope, he stumbled on toward the firing range room. Upon entering the room and seeing the destruction, he took his cell phone and punched the university security department phone number. The second ring and a voice said, “University of Pyongyang Security Department is busy, please hold.” Doctor Wien Bin was so upset as he contemplated throwing the phone against the wall. The three-second delay was nearly intolerable. “Security.” “Security, this is Doctor Wien Bin in the physics building, the firing range room and there has been a terrible explosion and I see no one alive. I need help immediately.” He disconnected the phone and placed it back in his pocket. As he dropped the phone into his pocket, he felt an eyeglasses case. At least, he would be able to see clearly. He paced frantically waiting for security. Even though the explosion did not happen remotely, the building was solidly sound proofed. Undoubtedly, it would be a short delay before anyone was aware of what had happened. Within another forty-five seconds, dozens of security police swarmed over the enclosed gun firing range. Emergency medical technicians followed with stretchers and gurneys. They found a piece of a forearm stuck on the ceiling. In a

pile of rubbish, they saw a piece of a human leg and still in another area they found fragments of brains and skull bone. The scene’s carnage contained so much mutilation that a couple of the EMTs gagged and left the room. One could be heard trying unsuccessfully to hold back his vomit before he reached the restroom. One of the security guards approached Dr. Wien Bin, whose hands were shaking uncontrollably. “What happened?” “We were testing a weapon that General Chun found near the mouth of the Tae Dong River. It was a most unusual weapon. I left to go to my office to check some blood samples and bring back my stereomicroscope so we could further define some previous slides with some slides our photolab technicians were taking. As I came down the corridor toward the firing range room, I heard an explosion, and a blast of compressed air knocked me down. The blast knocked my glasses off. When I found my glasses and got into the gun firing range room, I saw this. Then I called you.” As the smoke and dust settled at the far end of the firing range where the skulls, helicopter parts, the embalmed dog and a cadaver were displayed for testing along with the remains of the tree, they heard a cough. Looking in that direction, they saw the photographers getting up from the floor and shaking the debris from their clothes. Apparently both were uninjured. The lenses on their respective cameras were broken. The two EMTS began to examine the photographers. After a quick check it was determined they were not injured, only shaken up by the blast. The photographers ed the others and began to pick up the few pieces of skin and fragments of bones. They placed these findings into special marked bags for further examination in identifying the casualties. Dr. Wien Bin left the firing range room and went to his office. Stunned and seemingly oblivious to the terrible shock, he removed the case with the broken glasses and made a note to call his optometrist the next day to replace the glasses. He looked at the shattered pieces of his stereomicroscope and silently cursed the day as he was already over budget for his department and the cost to replace this expensive piece of equipment did not help his already strained

department budget. Wearily, he picked up his phone and placed a called to the president’s office.

CHAPTER 50

L EADER ONE PICKED up his radio. It was 0515 hours. “Men, it’s getting daylight and with the number of floating trees and other debris in the river I think we should hawser our boats together. I am getting next to the northwest bank of the river. I can see some of you bobbing along> Work your way to the northwest bank.” Freezer replied, “See you Leader One, Blue Moon and I are linked together with Icicle and will make our way to the bank.” “Leader One, I’m right behind you,” remarked Iceman. Leader One continued his instructions. “At least with the river in a high-flood stage we will be able to tie our boats among the heavy wooded banks. Freezer, you and Blue Moon bring Icicle up to my boat. I need to thoroughly search his backpack and his rubber boat. I need to find that special hand weapon. Then with a long rope looped through one side of the boats we can hawser up under the heavy limbs and may get lucky and go unnoticed.” Leader One searched through Icicle’s backpack, his boat and clothing. He could not find the weapon. Icicle was semi-conscious. Finally, in desperation Leader One said, “Icicle do you hear me?” Silence. There was no response from Icicle. Leader One gently shook Icicle and again said, “Sergeant Erick do you hear me?” There was a feeble response from Icicle. “Do you understand me? Can you hear what I am saying.” “Where is the special hand weapon you were carrying? What did you do with it? It was in your backpack. I put it there.”

Icicle sounded faint but his voice grew slightly stronger. “I used it at the mouth of the river. I think I dropped it as they were placing me into my boat.” Again, he lapsed back into a semi-conscious state. “Men, now that we have all our boats hawsered let’s get some sleep. We will rest and travel again tonight.” Iceman said, “Good Idea. I’m exhausted.” The droning of a low-flying plane awakened Leader One who had been dreaming. He was back in Washington with Maria. They had just arrived at the emergency room of the hospital. Maria was in labor… The whump, whump, whump, of some choppers made him as well as the others sit up in their boats. It was late afternoon. In a few hours, they would be cruising down the Tae Dong River on hopefully the final leg of their float trip. It wasn’t going to be easy. The searchlights on the choppers were trained on the dark recesses of the heavily wooded riverbanks.

CHAPTER 51

D R. WIEN BIN was surprised when the president answered the phone directly. “Mr. President, we have done some testing with the weapon. It is the most unusual weapon. With some research and engineering, we can create a weapon that will shoot down spy satellites. It is a miracle weapon. We were able to recreate the same type of entry and exit wounds as those we found on the dogs and the soldiers as well as the conditions on the crashed helicopters.” “Doctor, truly excellent news. Please describe the weapon to me?” “Yes, Sir, I can. It is about the same size and weight as our Type 68 pistol. It has several settings on the side of the gun. One is ‘fire’ which will cause items that it is aimed at to burst immediately into flames. Another is ‘kill’ which will immediately produce an entry and exit wound approximately two centimeters across. It also had a position for ‘stun’ that we, unfortunately, never had the opportunity to demonstrate.” “Well, Doctor, check it out,” the president angrily demanded. “That’s the problem.” “What do you mean that’s the problem.” Dr. Wien Bin stopped to gather his breath. “Well, Sir, I left the firing range room in the physics building to get a blood sample and my microscope from my office but immediately after I re-entered the physics building and I was going down the hall to the firing range an explosion blew open the doors, knocked me down, broke my glasses and… and…” “Come on, Doctor. What about the weapon?” the president was practically sputtering. “That’s it, Mr. President. General Chun, Dr. Kimouck, Dr. Chim-Lee are missing

and presumed dead and the weapon is destroyed.” The president seemed unmoved at the news of the casualties. “Did you get pictures of the weapon?” Sounding a bit taken aback by the president’s nonchalance about the deaths, Dr. Wien Bin paused to gather his composure. “I’m not sure. I will need to check with the photographers.” “Do that and get back with me as soon as possible,” the president snapped, slamming the phone into the cradle. Dr. Wien Bin turned to the photographers. “Did you get pictures of the weapon?” The senior photographer of the group, a short, wiry man with straight black hair that resembled a silky mop turned to the doctor. “Doctor, we took so many pictures we will need to go back to the lab and look at our video and digital images to know exactly what we have taken.” “Check those pictures and get back to me as quickly as you can.” Just as the mystery appeared to be solved, Dr. Wien Bin now was suddenly confused, scared, and perplexed by this anonymous enemy.Chapter 52 T HE PLANES – AN MIG 29 and SU-25 – and Chinese-made H-5 helicopters were flying low. They had turned on their spotlights searching the edges of the riverbank. The team had done its best to camouflage itself, having exhausted the remaining skin cream darkener. The dense underbrush also kept them well hidden. Just as the group started to release their moorings, a patrol gunboat came up the river. The North Koreans used Tir gunboats that were shallow and capable of carrying crews of ten to twelve men. They had two searchlights, three eight-millimeter cannons and usually carried one Howitzer. The searchlights were sweeping the edges of the flooded river. The gunboat did not slow as it trudged up the river. In the distance – at about seven hundred fifty meters – ICON could see the choppers turn to search the bank on the other side

of the river. Leader One motioned to the rest of the team to get moving. “Okay, men, we will have probably an hour or two before the choppers come up this side of the river. Let us stay together, cross over to the other side and make it a few more miles down river. Stay close to the river’s edge for cover watch out for floating logs and debris. Let’s go.” The strong current at about twenty knots tugged at the rubber boats as they moved swiftly downstream. With their small paddles, the men finally managed to get into the mainstream of the river’s flow. The maneuver was risky as long tree limbs were hurdling through the river at dangerous speeds like natural bullet spears. with one log could threaten disaster for ICON’s escape. Almost immediately, a large log snagged into the middle of their fleet of rubber boats, tearing Freezer’s craft. The current swallowed the remains of the craft and Freezer. Leader One shouted into his radio “Cut the ropes. Cut the ropes!” Blue Moon and Iceman cut the ropes. The boat holding Icicle, who alternated frequently between states of consciousness, began to move faster with the current. Blue Moon chased Icicle’s rubber boat. Meanwhile, Iceman saw Freezer bob to the top of the raging river. His rubber boat was gone. He quickly maneuvered his rubber boat and Freezer was able to get hold of one of the straps they had used to tie the boats together. Leader One had just made it to the other side when he saw the searchlights and above the roar of the river he heard the choppers going up the side they had just left. The darkness made it hard to see the intruding spies with the camouflage boats, clothes and darkened faces. Leader One said, “Iceman, do you copy me?” “Yes, Leader One, I copy.” “Did you get Freezer?” “Yes, Sir, I got him. I have been unable to get him into my boat but he is holding on to one of the straps. We are almost to the other side. What about Icicle and Blue Moon?”

I don’t know I’m going to call them now. Stand by!” “Blue Moon, Blue Moon. This is Leader One. Do you copy?” Silence. “Leader One to Blue Moon, do you copy?” Finally the radio crackled with transmission. “Yes, Sir. Leader One, I copy you.” “Where are you, Blue Moon?” “I’m in the middle of this raging river. Just as I was about to get hold of Icicle’s boat a large tree dragged his boat under water. I have found his boat but he is not in the boat. I did get the body bag from his rubber boat.” Blue Moon stopped, seeing Icicle struggling. “Wait, a minute! I see him. He appears to be unconscious. Some of his clothing is snagged on a limb. But his head is above water.” “Can you reach him?” “I think I can reach him. I’m on the same tree he is snagged on and I will just pull myself toward him… Leader One could hear the river’s roar. Blue Moon came back on. “Wait a minute. I… I… I’ve got a hold of the tree limb he is snagged on.” Leader One again heard just the sound of the current, louder than before. “Icicle, can you hear me? Hang on buddy. I’m coming.” Leader One now could hear Blue Moon grunting as he tried to pull Icicle into his boar. “I’ve got him. I’m trying to pull him into my boat. I can’t get him into the boat. I’m going to put a rope under his arms and pull him up close to keep his head

above water and head toward the bank.” Leader One could hear that Blue Moon had succeeded in mooring Icicle alongside his boat. “Blue Moon, great work.” Now everyone’s radio just heard the roar of the river. A few second later, they were startled by Blue Moon’s fearful cry. Leader One said, “What’s wrong, Blue Moon? What happened?” “Here comes one of the gunboats with their searchlights.” Leader One said, “Do you think they see you?” It was 0300 hours. “No, I don’t think they see us but if I move away from this floating tree I’m sure they will spot us. I’m going to stay with the tree for now.” As the rest of the ICON team looked up the river, they saw the gunboat moving rapidly downstream, its current position about two hundred meters away. The river had swollen significantly to nearly fifteen hundred meters wide. Leader One said aloud, “with all the debris in the river it appears rather stupid to be going that fast.” Instantly, Leader One heard the captain of the gunboat call, “Chopper One and Chopper Two, I see a rubber boat in the middle of the river. I’m going to inspect it now. Please assist. Over and out.” The flare illuminated the clear moonlit night and the flash of a machine gun muzzle signified they had seen Blue Moon. The bullets struck aimlessly at the tree and ricocheted off the water surface. Nonetheless, the floating tree limb provided vital protection for Blue Moon and Icicle. Almost as quickly as the firing started, it stopped. The gunboat ran almost full speed at better than twenty knots per hour into a floating log or some other larger debris and suddenly the gunboat burst into flames. Even above the roaring noise

of the swollen river, Leader One could hear the screams of the men on the gunboat as the diesel fuel caught fire and the men died instantly in selfimmolation Leader One said, “Blue Moon, get the hell out of there. Haul ass, man. Haul ass!” “Yes, Sir, right away.” He let loose of the tree limb and with Icicle tied to the side of his boat he began to paddle furiously toward the shore. Soon the roar of a chopper filled the air. They were still about sixty-five meters from the shore. The flare and the huge oscillating spotlights on the choppers turned the nighttime sky into a tableau of bright midday sunshine. They had spotted Blue Moon and Icicle in the rubber boat. Bullets from the chopper kicked up water sprays until it looked like a heavy rain falling. The swift moving current made them hard to hit. However, just before they reached the trees on the opposite shore several bullets pierced the rubber boat. Luckily, the flying bullets struck neither Blue Moon nor Icicle. Blue Moon was able to get Icicle loose from the sinking boat just before they reached the safety of the heavily wooded shore covered with Bush honeysuckle and wisteria. The choppers continued to fire into the trees along the shore, with twigs, limbs and leaves falling aimlessly like pollen from shaken lilies. Thoroughly exhausted from the paddling and dragging Icicle ashore, Blue Moon collapsed beside Icicle on the ground. Meanwhile, Leader One intercepted enemy communications from one of the chopper pilots. “E-Z-T-three-four-five-nine requests ground assistance. Control tower, do you read me?” “This is the control tower. Repeat your airboat code letters.” “This is Easy, Zebra, Tango three-four-five-nine.” “Yes, what can we do for you?” “We think we have spotted some of the perpetrators. They have made shore on

the south bank. One of them appears to be injured. Please send ground troops to the area immediately.” “Okay, give me your location.” “Yes, Sir, my location is…” It was at that moment that Leader One’s weapon found its target. The pilot never spoke another word as a hole about the size of a golf ball appeared between his eyebrows just below his hairline. The low-flying chopper dropped into the river like an egg falling from a basket. Leader One, Freezer and Iceman quickly maneuvered their boats downstream twenty-five meters to where Blue Moon and Icicle laid on the ground. Getting in close, they moored their boats. Iceman carried Icicle into his boat. Iceman told Leader One that because two of them couldn’t ride in his boat he would hold onto one of the straps and swim beside his boat. Exhausted, Blue Moon would ride in Freezer’s boat and Freezer would hold onto the side. Within no more than ninety seconds, they were moving downstream again, hoping to get out of the immediate area of conflict. Leader One listened as the control tower dispatcher kept calling for the airboat. He also heard the control tower dispatcher announce that the craft had disappeared from the radar. Leader One heard the location coordinates, which put them one hundred seventy-five kilometers south and southeast of the mouth of Tae Dong River. He also heard the dispatch for immediate military assistance. Leader One said, “Okay, men, we need to really move fast. They are going to send in ground troops and between the ground troops, the gunboats and the choppers we will be sitting ducks. We will probably need to travel in smaller groups.” Iceman spoke up, “We have three rubber boats. I will take Icicle, the body bag and put them in my boat and I will swim beside him.” Freezer told the rest that he and Blue Moon would take turns riding in the rubber boat. Leader One said, “Okay, let’s get out of here. our word for trouble is

smoke. Iceman, you and Icicle go first. Then Freezer and Blue Moon will follow in five minutes and then five minutes later I will follow bringing up the rear. If we become separated, each one will be on his own.” Leader One paused for just a moment before continuing. “. A few days after our allotted time to arrive back in Seoul they will start sending spies to look for us and they will ask you, ‘Are you cold?’ Your answer will be ‘Yes, I’m as cold as ice. If you don’t answer they will ask, ‘Are you part of ICON?” The men all acknowledged in the affirmative. “Don’t worry, men, we will make it out of here. We haven’t come this far to fail. Let’s go!” Iceman shoved off and said, “See ya, Leader One.” With those words he and Icicle began to move swiftly down the river. Along the shoreline, the water was moving at a considerably slower speed than in the center, and the men estimated the current’s speed at about twelve to fifteen knots per hour. It was still about three hours before daylight and they would need to cover one hundred seventy-five kilometers with the raging river. The current carried them quickly into the darkness and further uncertainty.

CHAPTER 53

D R. WIEN BIN was re-examining previous photos taken from the deceased soldiers and dogs when his phone rang. It was Kim Lee, one of the photographers. “The pictures you wanted? We have printed them and are sending them over to your office. They should be arriving just any moment.” Just as soon as the phone call was completely, the doctor’s secretary walked into the lab with a sealed manila envelope. Dr. Wien Bin looked up from his stereomicroscope and said, “Leave them on my desk and please hold all incoming calls. I am not in for the rest of the day.” “Yes, Dr. Wien Bin.” Leaving his stereomicroscope, he tore open the sealed package sent from the photo lab. Then he washed his hands and put on sterilized cotton gloves, careful not to smudge any film and slides. He sat down at his desk and went through all eighty photos. From the dozens he selected twelve photos. He selected two photos each of the dog, the cadaver, the burning tree, and the severed helicopter rotor mount. The remaining four photos were of the mysterious weapon. None of these pictures was clear. Two of them were of the weapon lying in the palm of someone’s hand. The other two showed the weapon being pointed toward an object. Dr. Wien Bin thought it was to detect any type of discharge emitted as they were looking for discharges from the barrel of the weapon. The photos revealed nothing. He took the photos over to the stereomicroscope and looked first at the photos of the objects they had shot. They revealed the same identical markings as the original photos. Then he carefully examined the photos taken of the gun. One of them showed the right side of the gun. It showed a button that was marked ‘safety.’ Confident that he was close to solving this baffling case, he saw that, from a side view, the weapon, indeed, looked very similar to their country’s Type 68 pistol.

However, he had yet to find any clues indicating the weapon’s power source. His pulse quickening, he removed that slide and inserted the photo that showed the left side of the weapon. It clearly showed the stun, kill and fire buttons and then the little button near the end of the barrel. There were several hypotheses about the unmarked button. Did it charge the weapon? Did it regulate the flow of power from the barrel? Did it eliminate any sound that the weapon would emit upon activation? Did the weapon operate from some ultrasonic sound wave that instantaneously heats its target? Yet, Dr. Wien Bin could not locate any telltale marker from the photo that would narrow the possibilities. It was 1400 hours when Dr. Wien Bin called the president. Once again, rather surprisingly, the president answered his own phone after just one ring. “Mr. President, this is Dr. Wien Bin.” “Yes, Dr. Wien Bin what did you discover?” “Mr. President, the entry and exit wounds we simulated under similar conditions as those in the field are identical.” “That’s good. What about pictures of the weapon?” The president’s tone was agitated, jumpy. “I have four pictures of the weapon.” “That’s good. So, what do they reveal?” “You can definitely read some of the buttons or switches on the sides of the weapon.” “Okay. Can you send me the photos?” Dr. Wien Bin told the president he would enlarge the photos and transmit them immediately. However, the president had one more question. “Doctor, before you go, you must assure me that we will develop a prototype of this weapon.”

“I think we can but it will take much research.” “Whatever it takes you will have the funding. Good-bye.” The fax reached the president’s office within the hour. Dr. Wien Bin could not believe the responsibility that had just been bestowed upon him. To start, he had no idea of the material that would be needed for such a weapon. He was a trained forensic pathologist. He decided to schedule a session with the university’s polytechnic chemists and engineers. In the dimmed light of his office, he wondered out loud, “The gun was very lightweight and it was not made of metal.”

CHAPTER 54

“H EY BLUE MOON did you see that?” “Did I see what, Freezer?” “Did you see that big rat swimming in the water? I didn’t know you had rats the size of the jungle rats we see in the South Pacific. I saw several of them earlier and I thought they were beaver until I saw this last one with a slick tail, just like a rat.” “Yes, we do have large rats and they are capable of biting through your shoe and in some instances they have been known to attack small children and eat them.” “Sounds like an urban legend to me. Well, at least we are making good time and should be able to be home in the next day or two if everything goes right.” Freezer stopped for a moment, shaking his head and laughing about Blue Moon’s exaggerated claims. Nevertheless, there was no need to take any chances with these super-sized rodents. “Blue Moon, why don’t you use the radio and advise Leader One of the large rats?” “Okay, I’m being serious. Leader One, do you copy? This is Blue Moon.” “Yes, Blue Moon, I copy you. I have just let Iceman and Icicle start. What’s going on? Do you have the body bag with the remains of the soldiers?” “No, I don’t. Why?’ “What happened to the body bag?” “I placed the body bag in the rubber boat with Icicle when I gave the boat to Iceman.”

Blue Moon paused, waiting for Leader One to reply, and then suddenly continued. “Oh, we have encountered some large rats swimming in the water. Be careful as they will attack if provoked.” “Oh, that’s right, I forgot. Thanks for the warning about the rats. All you men, beware of the water snakes. If you see them steer away as their bite can be fatal.” Blue Moon smiled at Leader One’s recognition of the rats. Like everyone else, Blue Moon was impressed by Leader One’s omniscient handle on the region. Blue Moon’s radio crackled again with activity. “Hey, Blue Moon, this is Iceman and you sound real close.” “I think we are close. Do you see that large tree leaning over the water?” “Yeah! I see lots of trees.” “Iceman, this tree leans so far over it looks like it’s suspended above the water.” “Yeah, I see that one. We’re just coming up to it now.” “We just ed it and there are many water snakes in the tree. Try to go around the tree if at all possible. They may fall into your boat. They may also bite. That may be the reason the big rat was in the water looking for a little snake meat… ha ha.” “Well, Blue Moon that’s okay with me. I’m sure it is tastier than human flesh. After three and a half weeks I’m not sure anything would be able to tell me from my clothes… ha ha.” Leader One came on line, too. “Blue Moon, I’ve been listening to the conversation. Could you tell the color?” “No, Leader One. With my night-vision goggles they looked like circles but I couldn’t really tell any color. They look like light and dark circles. Why?” In the dark, it was hard to discern precisely the snake’s skin markings. And.

Freezer always had difficulty in detecting differences in hue and color tones. “Well, there are two venomous and deadly water snakes that I am aware of in this region.” “Oh. I didn’t know that and I definitely am not a lover of snakes.” Leader One said, “Though many snakes are rarely seen in Korean waters, there are two species that have been sighted in this area. One of them you might be seeing is the Hydrophis Cyanocinetus. They are about one to two meters in length.” Freezer laughed. “Good God! I didn’t know you were a herpetologist. I’ll be damned! I knew there was a reason I hated snakes. Now I know. It’s those fancy names they give to them.” Leader One chuckled but resumed his all-business tone instantly. “The other one is the black-headed sea snake which is equally venomous. These are big and during breeding season, they gather in large groups. The blackheaded sea snake can cover the ocean’s waters for seventy miles. Normally, you’d see these in Japan but I have heard of plenty of reports of these nasty babies being spotted in the waters in and around both North and South Korea.” Freezer laughed again, hoping to mask the growing fear inside. “My God, sounds like a whole lot of gang banging going on.” Blue Moon said, “Well I don’t know if it’s breeding season but there sure were a lot of snakes in that tree and many of them were dropping into the water around us. One fell into our boat but almost immediately it slithered right back out.” Leader One said, “Blue Moon, I knew we could count on you. Well, we will soon be near that tree and we will do our best to navigate around that tree. However, if there is a large nest of them it is probably the black-headed sea snake. Okay, men, keep your radios on. I’m going to send a message to the higher-ups.”

Leader One popped open his laptop that had been fitted for high-speed wireless patching courtesy of a secret satellite. Because we are being heavily pursued by airboat, water boat and as we draw nearer to Pyongyang I’m sure there will be a swell of ground troops. However, I think we will have more cover traveling on the ground rather than be an open target on the water. From all my GPS readings, we are about 120 kilometers from Pyongyang. We have about six hours of darkness left. Traveling at 15-20 nautical miles per hour we should be about 20-30 kilometers from Pyongyang by dawn. At that point, we will sink our boats, cross overland to Freedom Village, and attempt to exit the same way we entered the country; however, the best of plans are subject to change. ICON GM. It had been days since he sent a quick message to Maria. Taking advantage of the uneventful night, he decided to send a short no-details note. Hi Sweetie, you would really like this trip. We are in our rubber boats floating down the Tae Dong river. This has been a great float trip. Hope to be home in a few days. Remind me next summer and we will take a float trip down the Salt River in Arizona. I really miss you. Love, G. He closed his laptop. Lord I hope that’s right. Just as he stashed the laptop away, he heard the unwelcome “whump-whump” of the approaching choppers and ICON now saw the flashing of their oscillating searchlights.

CHAPTER 55

L EADER ONE WAS listening to the radio when he heard, “Control Tower, this is E-T-B-six-nine-six-nine requesting clearance to depart.” “Easy-Tango-Bravo-six-nine-six-nine, this is the control tower. Permission is granted.” This was the first chopper of five to leave Pyongyang military base bound for the south bank of the Tae Dong Rover. Three of the choppers were dropping twentyfive soldiers each and returning to base. The other two choppers would continue to search along the coast for the perpetrators. Unlike previously, the new orders issued were to shoot and kill. No doubt on either side that this time, the stakes were raised to the highest level. “Leader One to ICON team, this is to advise you that North Korea has given clearance to five choppers, three of them to ferry ground troops into the area and the other two to patrol the shoreline. Stay under cover as much as possible along the shoreline. We need to disembark our boats at 0545 hours. We will determine at that time what our next best move will be. Over and out.” While it was still dark, Leader One moved toward the center of the river to catch up with his team. It now was 0300 hours when he heard the sound of approaching choppers. He quickly moved toward the safety of the trees along the shore. Their move down the river had been the best possible scenario. He estimated they had traveled between sixty and seventy-five kilometers since the downing of the chopper. The approaching chopper’s sweeping searchlights brightened the night like the noonday sun. Leader One intercepted one of the pilot’s reports. “This is E-T-B-six-nine-six-nine. We have not seen any movement of any kind on the river other than floating trees and other debris.” “E-T-B-six-nine-six-nine, this is Major-General Han Myung-Sook. Go ahead and have the choppers drop the ground troops at the approximate site of the downed

chopper. You and Echo-Bravo-Zebra-six-one-five-nine continue to search the shoreline from the downed chopper back to Pyongyang. Do you copy?” Both pilots responded in the affirmative. “We are sending five hundred ground troops from Pyongyang up the river to meet the soldiers coming downriver. We will apprehend the perpetrators.” All of the ICON men had heard the intercepted dispatch. The Texans among the group now knew they were in a situation tighter than Dick’s hatband. Chapter 56 “L EADER ONE, THIS is Freezer. Do you copy?” “Yes, Freezer, I copy.” “We are in a field with tall grass and next to a large reed area.” “Okay, we will stop there as well.” Freezer looked at Blue Moon and said, “God, I’m glad to get back on the ground and I’m changing into some dry clothes while we wait for the others.” “Good idea, me, too.” Freezer removed his clothes and suddenly began to scream. “Oh my God, holy shit! What are these black slimy slugs? Holy jumping Jesus! Look at these black slimy bastards!” Blue Moon laughed, “They are blood-sucking leeches.” “I don’t care what they are. I want them off!” “Okay, but don’t pull them.” Blue Moon reached into his backpack pulled out a waterproof lighter. As soon as the heat touched the leeches, they turned loose and dropped to the ground. Freezer looked as if he had been cut in numerous spots as the blood began to run from the bites. Blue Moon calmed his nerves.

“Don’t worry. When they attach themselves to you they excrete a fluid that keeps the blood from coagulating. At the same time the fluid seems to numb your body so you don’t feel the bite.” Freezer was impressed with Blue Moon’s quick thinking. “Well, I feel much better with them gone. Look Blue Moon. Do you see that old building?” “Yeah, it is our old family homestead. We are near Sip’ in. I wonder if it’s still abandoned.” About that time, Iceman and Icicle arrived. Iceman said, “Hey fellows, what’s all the screaming? Do you want to give away our position?” Freezer said, “Take your clothes off and tell me what you see.” Iceman wrinkled his eyebrow at Freezer’s suggestion. At Blue Moon’s insistence, Iceman quickly stripped off his shirt and pants. “Ooooh shit! What are these things?” “They are blood-sucking leeches. Don’t pull them off. They will make a sore. Let me remove them.” Blue Moon now touched the cigarette lighter to the leeches on Iceman’s body. There weren’t as many and in a few moments all of them had dropped to the ground. Iceman said, “Look fellows, Icicle is in bad shape. Do either of you have any morphine?” Blue Moon said, “I have two packs left,” and He handed them to Iceman. Leader One arrived just as Iceman was pouring the pain-numbing powder into Icicle’s wounds. “Okay, fellows, let’s not sink our rubber boats. Let’s leave a backpack in two of the rubber boats and rig them to explode once they’re touched. We will sink the third rubber boat after we have taken the two into midstream and set them adrift.

If they find them, it will give us an idea where the soldiers are and we can move around them on land.” The men nodded with approval at the plan. Leader One continued, “Iceman, you take the rigged rubber boats into midstream. I will wait here with Icicle until you get back. Meantime, I will rig up a stretcher to carry Icicle. There are five hundred soldiers moving toward us from Pyongyang. They have dropped more soldiers where we shot down the chopper. Is Icicle able to walk at wall?” Iceman replied, “No, Sir, but I will carry him. He’s my best buddy and I can’t leave him.” “Freezer, you and Blue Moon scout out the building and signal us if all is clear.” It was daylight when Iceman got back to shore and they sunk the rubber boat in the tall water reeds. Leader One said to Iceman, “Let’s pick Icicle up and move to the old building. Freezer has given us the all-clear sign.” The two of them carried the wounded Icicle, who was semi-conscious, on the makeshift stretcher. With the stretcher secure in their hands, they jogged toward the abandoned building that had been in Blue Moon’s family. The two-story building was being used to store food supplies for animals. The upper loft had a large supply of dried cut grass. The building showed no signs of use for anything except storage. One corner of the ground floor had a large pile of grass on a raised platform. The construction had been a modest effort. They had uses trees as rafters and attached tin to them for the roof. They had used more trees for the ceiling and the flooring was rough-hewn timber that had been sawed into planks. The lower walls had a footing of some type of cement on which weathered oak and pine rafters were attached. The walls appeared to be made from concrete blocks. Blue Moon and his brother (now deceased) had lived there as children but fled south during the Korean war. Blue Moon had stayed in North Korea and Full Moon made his way into Seoul where he worked on the Yongson army base for the U.S. government. An old hand pump was located near the right side of the building. Freezer used the water in his canteen to prime the old pump and the mechanism soon was

pumping some water from an underground spring. The water was cold, clear and pure tasting. There was no aftertaste or hint of chlorine or chemicals. They all filled their canteens. They dropped some purifications tablets into the canteens just to be on the safe side. Iceman gave some water to Icicle who was clearly struggling with a high fever now. Again, the men found enough materials in the structure to fix up a makeshift stretcher for Icicle. Some of the men slept or rested. Blue Moon took the first watch. A few hours later, they were awakened by the smell of food. Blue Moon had built a small fire and was roasting meat. Freezer said, “Blue Moon where did you get the rabbits?” There were two small animals roasting over the fire. “Do you like the meat?” They all agreed. It was the sweetest, best-tasting meat they had eaten in a long time. Iceman said, “So, tell us what kind of meat is it?” They’re rats. I found a burrow under the building and I took a piece of this barbed wire, felt for the rats and by twisting the wire into their fur, I was able to pull them out of the hole and kill them.” “Well, Sir – or should I say ‘Chef Blue Moon’ – I believe that’s as fine an eating that I’ve had in several months,” said Iceman. Leader One asked, “Blue Moon, have you seen any planes or choppers?” “Yes, Sir, they have been working pretty heavy along the river.” “Do you think they saw the smoke from your fire?” “I’m sure they did as they made a couple of es over this old building. I waved to the ones in the choppers.” Leader One’s eyes grew wide and his voice thickened with anger, a rare occurrence.

“You, what!? You waved at the choppers. That may have endangered our mission. Do you realize what you did?” Blue Moon motioned to Leader One to relax. “Yes, but I have an answer. Come let me show you.” He led the others to the other end of the building. “My parents lived here many years ago and when the war started in the early fifties, my father who was an excellent carpenter built this safe place for his family.” He pulled a rope and the large pile of cut grass that was on the raised floor moved silently on the tracks revealing a large metal door. It was perhaps two meters wide and three meters long. He raised the door and several water storage jugs were inside along with several mats rolled up that apparently were used for beds and a small table. When the door closed, two pulleys with ropes pulled the raised floor back into place. Two large steel bars locked into place that made the raised floor impossible to move. A third bar locked the door. Freezer said, “Hey, man, that’s neat!” Blue Moon nodded and smiled proudly. “When the Americans came into this area there were some unjust killings. Some farmers were killed if they were suspected of harboring enemy soldiers. One day my father saw the Chinese soldiers coming and he quickly hid my mother, my brother Cheong and myself in this shelter and told us to be quiet and not to come out until he came and knocked on the door three times. We waited and waited but he never came. When we finally came out we found my father hanging in the doorway with a sign that read, ‘Death to all who harbor Americans.’” Freezer said, “Oh, Kwon! I’m so sorry to hear this and now you have lost your only brother Cheong.” Freezer went over and grabbed Blue Moon’s shoulder in gentle sympathy. It had been days since anyone on the ICON team had used anybody’s real name. “Yes, but I know it’s for a just cause.”.

Iceman said, “I will take these water jugs and fill them now, just in case we need them.” “That’s a good idea,” replied Freezer. Blue Moon said, “Let me show you something else. Follow me.” Leader One climbed down into the safe haven and watched in amazement as Blue Moon went to one of the walls where some small cooking utensils hung. He took one of the pots off the hanger and as he did the wall slid inward revealing a secret ageway. “I’m not sure where it goes. I have never used it and shortly after they murdered my father we left.” Blue Moon replaced the pot on the hanger and the door closed. “Wow!” Iceman said, “Your father put a lot of thought into deg this safe room for you.” “Yes, but it didn’t help him,” Blue Moon said somberly.

CHAPTER 57

“E -T-B-SIX-NINE-SIX-NINE TO CONTROL tower, do you copy me?” “Yes, Easy-Tango-Bravo-six-nine-six-nine we copy you.” The chopper pilot said, “We have spotted smoke coming from a building on a small knoll above the river. I made two es over the building and a peasant was cooking something. He waved at me.” “Check it out. We don’t want these people slipping away.” “Yes, sir. I will pick up some soldiers and report again as soon as I know something. Over and out.” Leader One said, “Men leave the fire. Police the area for any telltale signs that we have been here.” Kwon said, “Leader One, they have seen me and this is our old homestead. Since I am a native of this country, I will stay here, set up a little camp – pretend I am traveling alone and just visiting the old family place. I’ll set up a small tent inside the building, put my backpack in the tent after removing any items that might connect me with any foreigners. You and your men go into the safe place and when they have gone, I will come to get you. What do you think?” Leader One said, “Well, Blue Moon, I don’t like the plan. Since they have seen you, they know someone is here and they no doubt would turn everything upside down to determine why the person who waved to them is traveling alone?” “Well, I have lost all my family and only I remain but I can still be of service to you.” “Okay, against my better judgment, we’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope it works.” Kwon said, “If something goes wrong you know where my house is located. I

wish you, my friends, the best of luck. Don’t forget the escape tunnel.” The four remaining of the ICON group went into the safe place as they heard the approaching sounds of a chopper. Two choppers landed and twenty soldiers deplaned and approached Kwon. The soldiers told him to raise his hands. “Show us your papers.” With his right hand, Kwon reached into his pocket and handed Officer Chan, the authority in charge, his papers. The officer checked his papers and then the interrogation began. “What’s your name?” “Kwon.” “Where do you live?” “I live in Freedom Village.” “This is a long way from Freedom Village. What are you doing here?” “This is our old family homestead.” “How long have you been here?” “I’ve been here for two days.” “Are you the one who built the fires early today?” “Yes.” “What were you doing building fires?” “I was cooking something to eat.” “What were you cooking?”

“I caught a couple of large water rats and I built a fire and roasted them.” “Are you the one who waved at our choppers?” “Yes.” “Are you traveling with some other men?” “No, Sir.” “You mean you are traveling alone?” “Yes, Sir.” “We are chasing a group of people. Have you seen anyone else?” “No, Sir. I’ve seen no one.” “Are you sure?” “I’m positive.” “Is that your tent?” “Yes, Sir.” Turning to his men the officer in charge said, “Search his tent!” Two minutes ed while they searched his tent, and they reported to the officer in charge. “Did you search his tent thoroughly?” “Yes, Sir. We did.” “Well, did you find anything?” “Yes, Sir! I found this little container that says fine face cream.” “Fine face cream?”

“Yes, Sir!” Placing the small container in his pocket the officer turned to Kwon and said, “Okay, Kwon, you need to take your tent down. Go back to Freedom Village and if you see a group of suspicious men please the nearest army headquarters as soon as possible. You can the garrison in Freedom Village.” “Yes, Sir. I will.” The officer turned to his men, “Okay, men. Let’s go.” In a few minutes the soldiers and the helicopter was gone. Officer Chan removed the small jar from his pocket as he called his commanding officer to report one man at the old abandoned building. Chan told his CO that they had found only one man but he had picked up a jar that read fine face cream. “A jar that reads fine face creams? Interesting. Was it a small jar with printing saying something about Neimann Marcus made in the United States?” Surprised, Officer Chan sensing he had missed something stammered, “Well, yes. As a matter of fact that is what the printing says, Sir. Why?” The CO began to curse and berate Officer Chan. “You idiot. Don’t you know we are looking for a man or a group of men carrying this type of jar?” He waited for the officer to answer and then continued. “Did you get his name?” “Yes, Sir. I did. I checked his papers. They were in order and I have his address or at least the address he had on his papers.” “Officer Chan, I want you to go back and pick that man up immediately and bring him in for questioning. Do you understand?” “Yes, Sir! Right away, Sir.”

Officer Chan ordered the chopper pilot to immediately return to the old abandoned buildings to pick up the man who had just been interrogated.

CHAPTER 58

I CON’S MEN SCRAMBLED out of their hiding place. They had heard some of the conversation between Kwon and the officer. Leader One said, “Men, we need to get out of here and fast. When that officer fills out his report and advises his superiors, they will know about the little container of fine face cream and they will be swarming over this place like flies on a sugar bowl.” Leader One continued, “Blue Moon, why did you pick up one of the jars when we dropped them in the cave?” “I wanted to order some of that cream later to use at parties.” Leader One said, “Blue Moon, you have greatly diminished our chances of escaping safely.” “Blue Moon simply said, “I’m sorry.” While it meant no harm it was poor judgment on his part and the North Koreans could link him with the individuals in the cave. The mistake perhaps was not so innocent. Leader One said, “Well, there’s no use in crying over spilled milk. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible.” He began to shout commands in rapid fire. “Take down the tent. Put it in the hiding place. Close the lid and place the raised platform in its proper place.” Suddenly they heard a sound that sent chills through every man. It was a message coming over the frequency they were monitoring. “E-B-Z-six-one-five-nine, this is E-T-B-six-nine-six-nine. Do you copy?” “E-T-B-six-nine-six-nine, I do copy you.”

“E-B-Z-six-one-five-nine, this is Major General Han Myung-Sook.” “Yes, Sir, Major General. “I want you to go back to the old abandoned building where you talked with the peasant, get him, and bring him to the Pyongyang air base. I will meet you there. Over and out.” “Yes, Sir.” It was past 1600 hours. ICON’s men moved across the meadow as rapidly as possible, down into a ravine, climbed the other side and scampered into the trees. They stopped for just a few moments and placed Icicle’s stretcher on the ground. They heard the “whump, whump” of the approaching chopper. They watched as the chopper landed and several soldiers exited and raced into the abandoned building. A few moments later they heard, “E-T-B-six-nine-six-nine, do you copy? This is E-B-Z-six-one-five-nine. We have landed and after searching, we do not find anyone here. We found the campfire, and it’s out. The ashes are still warm. Over.” “Well, damn it. He can’t just disappear into thin air. Find him. If necessary, tear that place apart block by block… board by board. Understand?” “Yes, Sir.” The ICON team seemed momentarily relieved as they watched the frantic search with their high-powered binoculars. Within minutes, they resumed their retreat, moving south toward the thirty-eighth parallel. As they moved, carrying Icicle, they placed bets, wagering everything from free cups of coffee with a donut to a T-Bone deluxe – Iceman’s funny suggestion along with his promise that the steak bone would still have meat on it – about what time of the day the soldiers would find the secret chamber. It was dark when their radios crackled and they heard someone shouting. “E-B-T-six-nine-six-nine, this is E-B-Z-six-one-five-nine. Do you copy?”

“Yes, Sir. E-B-Z-six-one-five-nine, I copy. What have you found? “We have found a large flooring of concrete with a metal door recessed into the concrete.” “Well, open it.” “We are in the process of placing some C-3 under the edges where it is recessed into the concrete.” Suddenly ICON’s men heard a loud boom over their radios and someone shouting. “We’ve blown the door off.” “What have you found?” “Well, Sir, we found the remains of a folded camping tent and three pots hanging on the wall but nothing else.” “Keep looking.” Yes, Sir, Major General… Wait a minute. One of the soldiers knocked one of the pots off the wall and a door to a secret ageway opened.” “Well, search it. Where does it go?” “It appears to lead away from the building. We have two men in the tunnel now searching it.” “Call me back when you know more. The President wants some answers or some heads are going to roll. Understand?” “Yes, Sir.” ICON was moving as quickly as possible toward the thirty-eighth parallel. The men cautiously moved across the open meadows, and even though it was dark, the choppers were using high-powered searchlights to scan for the perpetrators. Icicle was delirious, a sign that infection was rapidly spreading throughout his system. Fortunately the head wound he received had grazed his head, probably

causing only a mild concussion. When they stopped to change carriers for Icicle’s stretcher, Iceman gave the last shot of penicillin the men had to Icicle. “Hang in there we are almost home. Hold on, Icicle. I will get you home. Trust me I’ll not let you go.” For the first time since the injury, Iceman was encouraged as he felt a faint grip on his hand. It was the first sign of response from Icicle since they put him on the boat to start down the Tae Dong River. Leader One said, “Men, let’s move. We must get back to the safe house in Freedom Village. In a few hours the sun will be up and we will be easier to locate. We must really move if we are going to make it. Maybe we can get to a road and commandeer a car. The radios crackled again. “E-B-Z-six-one-five-nine, do you copy?” “Yes, Sir, E-B-T-six-nine-six-nine, I copy.” “What have you found?” “We have found nothing.” “Well, you know that old American saying: off your ass and on your feet, out of the shade and into the heat. Get that chopper in the air and keep searching. We have to find him. Do you understand?” Chan had spent a little more than a year as an exchange student at Yale. He was fascinated by American slang and idioms. “Yes, Sir. Right away, Sir.” The ICON team once again heard the “whump, whump” of the chopper. The men were in a high-risk spot where trees and thick foliage were increasingly difficult to find. About two kilometers behind them, they could see the chopper as it began its relentless back-and-forth search for the perpetrators. The chopper drew closer – now just a kilometer away – and their only hope was for dark to hurry up.

Leader One said, “Fellows we’re going to make it. Just hang in there.” They were really feeling upbeat as they jogged with Icicle on the makeshift stretcher. Again, the radios crackled. “E-B-Z-six-one-five-nine to E-B-T-six-nine-six-nine, shall we continue the search or wait until daybreak? Please advise.” “Well, turn on the search lights and keep searching. We must find him or them whatever the case may be, and capture them dead or alive.” “Yes, Sir.” Leader One said, “Men, we need to stop and revise our plans. Our enemy already knows that Blue Moon and his brother Full Moon are from Freedom Village. If we are not caught before arriving at the house you can rest assured they will be there waiting for us. And they have a large army base at Panmunjom and they want us at any cost.” Iceman spoke up, “Hey that’s right. I hadn’t thought of that so, Leader One, what shall we do?” “We will enter South Korea at another point. Here’s what I suggest, since they know we are east and south of Pyongyang – not far from Lehon – we find an unsuspecting driver, hijack his vehicle and try to drive to Kaesong which would be a different entry point.” He paused to make sure everybody was clear. “Men, be sure and keep your guns fully charged. Are there any questions?” Freezer spoke up, “Again, what if we get separated?” “Our plans on getting separated have not changed. Each will be on his own.” Leader One removed his laptop, sending the most difficult progress report so far of the mission: We are being heavily pursued with ground troops, airboat and choppers. I suspect all roads out of here will have checkpoints. They know that our two guides are from Freedom Village however. Cheong, whose code name was Full

Moon, was shot and presumed dead as his rudder boat sunk in the Doo Man River. We will send no more messages until we are below the 38th parallel.” ICON GM. Leader One closed the laptop and each man put on his night vision goggles. The men then picked up Icicle’s stretcher and moved forward in the gathering darkness. They saw and heard the approaching chopper with its searchlights piercing the darkness. It was almost midnight when they came upon a small, winding, paved two-lane road, probably used mostly by farmers. Their comes indicated they were moving in a southwesterly direction. They had covered about four clicks when they heard what sounded like a truck approaching. They quickly gathered in the brush along the side of the road. As the old truck approached, Blue Moon stood in the middle of the road with a weapon in his hands, shouting for the middleaged balding driver to stop. The driver finally came to screeching halt. The driver got out of the truck and staggered toward Blue Moon. It was obvious he was intoxicated. He demanded to know why he had stopped him when he had to get home. It was late and his wife would be extremely angry with him. Blue Moon told the man he had a wounded friend and needed to get him to a hospital. The man agreed they could use his truck as long as he could go with them. They agreed. They loaded Icicle onto the flatbed of the truck, turned it around and headed back to town, which was about eight kilometers away. The man sat in the back of the truck and soon fell asleep. They were pleased to see the truck’s fuel tank was full. They entered into Lehon and as they drove past the hospital and then past the local police station, suddenly the man jumped off the back of the truck. Running toward the front of the police station, he began screaming, “Help, help, robbers have stolen my truck and have kidnapped me.” He had just escaped. His truck with Leader One driving sped down the street and into the darkness. Leader One looked back. The last thing he noticed were two police officers running out of the station toward the man.

CHAPTER 59

T HE MAN WAS sobbing and shouting incoherently as the officers led him into the police station. The police chief listened with great interest as the man told a story of four men with long dreadlocks of hair and long-billed baseball caps carrying an injured fifth man on a stretcher. “They told me the man had been accidentally shot and needed immediate hospital attention but when they reached the hospital, they did not stop but continued down the road and when they reached the police station, I jumped off the truck.” When the man had signed his statement the police chief called the army based in Lehon. The incessant ringing of the phone drew Sergeant Lee Hae-Chan away from the chart where he was mapping the progression of the ground troops searching for the five perpetrators. He was highly annoyed when he answered the phone but his tone immediately changed when he heard, “This is police chief Nan Kimchee-Sook and I have a strange story for you.” “Really? Tell me your story.” Sergeant Lee Han-Chan was punching red buttons on another phone pad as he quickly thanked the police chief and hung up. The hotline phone only rang twice when Major-General Myun-Sook, who had just lit one of his expensive imported hand-wrapped Cuban cigars, answered it. He was handsome, slender, and muscular, with piercing black eyes that seemed to flash bits of yellow when he was angry. Though he rarely raised his voice in volume or tone, the cold and hardness in his voice was readily apparent whenever he spoke. “This is Sergeant Lee Hae-Chan. We may have located the five suspicious perpetrators we were looking for.”

“What?” “I said ‘we may have located five of the perpetrators.’” “Where?” “They are driving a flatbed truck with low sideboards in the direction of Panmunjom. There are four men and one wounded man whom they said had been shot. The suspects were in Lehon about two hours ago.” “Thanks, Sergeant. I want you to set up road checkpoints every twenty kilometers between here and Panmunjom.” The distance to Panmunjom was about sixty kilometers. “Yes, Sir, I will take care of it immediately.” He was so surprised that he had dropped his cigar, stepped on it and crushed it into the rug in his office burning a hole in the new hand-woven rug his wife had given him for his office – a present from Hong Kong that cost a month’s salary. He immediately pulled his desk over the spot. He was only temporarily distressed at the accident, quickly thinking that the capture would mean a promotion to general and a much higher salary with state-sponsored perks. He would then be able to replace the rug with a far more expensive one.

CHAPTER 60

L EADER ONE DROVE the Hyundai flatbed truck as fast as he could and as much as the road would allow. He spoke up for the first time since the man had jumped off the truck. “Men, we are going to drive this thing as hard and as fast as we dare go. When it runs out of fuel, we will ditch it and hope we find another one. I’m sure that by daybreak there will be roadblocks and soldiers crawling up and down the roads like flies on the mouth of a sugar bowl.” Leader One and the rest of the men grimaced at the metaphor which they had heard a short while earlier. However, he could not afford the time – or the effort to concentrate – on finding the right words for their latest predicament. Freezer said, “Okay, what then?” “We will need to keep our weapons ready and if we have to ditch this truck we will. We will go as far as we can and if we get into a small town maybe we can switch this truck for another.” They were not surprised when they heard their radios crackle and an APB was issued. The bulletin indicated that the perpetrators were seen in Lehon and they were driving a flatbed truck Hyundai truck license number B-R-E-three-fourtwo-A. The bulletin indicated the following as well: “Warning! Approach the occupants of the vehicle with extreme caution. They are armed and dangerous. Prefer to have them alive if necessary shoot to kill. The President issued these orders.” Leader One shouted through the open hole in the back of the truck cab, “How is Icicle doing?” Iceman replied, “He is ing from conscious to unconsciousness and he keeps mumbling something I can’t understand. It sounds like he’s saying tell my mom I love her.”

“Tell him: ‘We are going to get him home. Hang tough for a few more hours.’” Iceman worried thinking if they would ever be able to get his best friend to a location where his life would be saved. He dreaded the prospect of breaking the news to his mother. Never particularly religious, he silently mumbled the words of prayer, asking for his best buddy’s life to be spared. Leader One said, “Men I just ed a sign that Kaesong is thirty kilometers away. If we make it there, we are only a few kilometers from Freedom Village.” They all started shouting as Iceman shook Icicle. “Hang on. We are only a few kilometers from home. Just a few hours and I will have you in the hospital facilities available. Okay?” He thought he saw the trace of a smile on Icicle’s face. He gave Icicle a drink of water from his canteen. Their excitement and shouting abruptly ended when they rounded a curve in the road and saw flashing lights ahead. “Aaaww Shit!” Freezer said. “A roadblock! Come on, God, give us a break.” They were in the only vehicle on the road. The roadblock hardly seemed imposing. There were a few wooden sawhorses and three lightweight armored vehicles. Leader One said, “Shall we try to ram it?” Icicle shouted, “Yes, ram it. And we’ll try to use our weapons.” “Wait a minute, fellows. I only see three men. Get your weapons ready as we will stop and shoot all three men and move on. Agreed?” They all voiced their agreement. The three men were heavily armed, two carrying AKM rifles along with sidearms and the other shouldering an RPG launcher. One of the soldiers motioned for them to stop. They slowed and finally stopped. One of the soldiers spoke into his radio.

“It’s a Hyundai truck and its license tag is B-R-E-three-four two…” He never finished the alphanumeric string. Freezer’s weapon had bore a golf ball-sized hole through his throat. Leader One quickly dispatched the soldier who had stopped them. Iceman had forgotten to take the safety off on his weapon. The third soldier dove behind an army truck and started firing wildly at the truck as it sped away with its headlights off. Iceman set his weapon on fire and gently squeezed the trigger. The army truck immediately burst into flames and then exploded. Iceman saw the soldier thrown high into the air as they rushed on toward Kaesong.

CHAPTER 61

M AJOR GENERAL MYUN-SOOK, looking over the reports, noted the man, Kwon Jong Hwvan, found at an abandoned building in the field near Tae-Dong River, was from Freedom Village. His address could easily be verified. He would make sure that a sufficient number of soldiers would have his home under surveillance so that when he returned he would be taken alive. He smiled to himself as he reached into his humidor for another Cuban hand-wrapped cigar. He leaned back in his chair, placed his feet up on his desk, lit his cigar and called the army garrison. Leader One felt uneasy as they neared Kaesong. It was almost daylight and they saw no more roadblocks. The report he had heard was “road blocks” every twenty kilometers. Leader One shouted, “Talk about luck. Do you see what I see?” They all look ahead and saw what appeared to be a school bus beside the road. They drew near and saw only a driver. The bus was black with red stripes on the sides and a blue rooftop. It looked to be the standard-sized school bus capable of carrying forty-eight engers. Kwon approached the man. “Hi, I’m Kwon. What’s your name?” “My Name is Kim-Chee.” “What seems to be your problem?” He said he was going to the middle school in Kaesong to pick up some schoolchildren who were going on a picnic as the end of the school year was next week. He had a flat on the bus but no spare and the battery in his two-way radio was dead. “Our truck is about out of fuel and I think our tires will fit your bus. If we use

our tires can we use your bus?” “Sure, I don’t have to be at the school until noon.” The men quickly changed the tire and placed Icicle who was still on a stretcher inside the bus. Kim Chee said, “What’s wrong with him?” Kwon replied, “He was accidentally shot a few days ago and we have been trying to get him to the hospital. We were fortunate enough to borrow this truck from a man.” “I know the way to the hospital. It is across town on the main road to Panmunjom.” “Good, let’s hurry!” At the edge of town, they saw another roadblock. This one seemed roughly the same. There were four soldiers and two army jeeps along with some nonthreatening wooden sawhorses. Three men were carrying AKM rifles and sidearms while the fourth held onto an RPG launcher. Each able-bodied member of the mission group nervously reached into his pockets for his weapon, just in case. Surprisingly, when they saw the school bus the soldiers waved it through the roadblock without stopping to check the vehicle. Leader One sighed, “That was close.” The bus driver noticed the tension among the men he had picked up and hearing Leader One’s sigh piqued his interest. “What’s wrong?” Kwon said, “Oh, nothing. We are just very concerned about our injured friend and any delay may cost him his life.” “Well, we are not far from the main hospital. It’s about fifteen minutes from here.” Three kilometers had ed when a loud noise and a whistle announced a blown

tire. The bus began to weave from side to side as the driver fought with the steering wheel to keep the vehicle in the road and right side up. The bus sideswiped a car parked beside the road and then it flipped over on its side and slid down the road with metal screeching and grinding before the vehicle came to a stop. The driver was thrown out the driver side door of the bus. Leader One climbed groggily out the bus driver’s side door, followed by Kwon, who would help move Icicle out of the twisted open door as Iceman and Freezer lifted him from the floor. Icicle groaned as he was gently laid on the pavement. Iceman examined him and noted the gunshot wound that had broken his shoulder blade was bleeding again. The blood from the head wound had dried and now the major concern was getting Icicle to a hospital before infection claimed his life. Leader One checked on the bus driver. “He’s dead. We need to find some wheels and get out of here. Soon there will be police officers crawling all over the place.” Freezer said, “Wait a minute. I forgot my backpack.” “Get all the back packs.” Freezer, already climbing back into the bus, said, “I’ll get them all.” Leader One said, “Good, while Freezer’s getting our backpacks we need to make some type of stretcher to carry Icicle.” Iceman said, “What will we use?” “Iceman, when we get our backpacks we will tie some of the army clothes together to make a sling to carry him.” “Okay, that’ll work,” replied Iceman. From inside the school bus they heard Freezer say, “Will miracles ever cease? Hey fellows! I found a padded stretcher fastened above the seats.” “Thank God,” Iceman said. “That will be much more comfortable for him. Besides Icicle has started to bleed again from his shoulder wound.”

Sirens and flashing lights of approaching police or military personnel indicated they had to make some quick decisions. The driver was dead so that eased their situation. They placed Icicle on the padded stretcher. They ran into the woods beside the road putting as much distance as possible – some two hundred meters – between them and the wrecked bus. No further delays could be tolerated. They had used up the morphine and the penicillin the day before and Icicle’s condition was growing more precarious with each diversion. Finally, they stopped far enough away but still within hearing distance of the bus wreck, thanks to the gusty winds that helped clarify the noise.

CHAPTER 62

“T HIS IS LIEUTENANT Commander Houck reporting a school bus accident.” “What is the address of the accident?” “It is 4900 Jong Il Boulevard. The driver is dead. He died when thrown from the bus. The cause of the accident was apparently a blown front tire.” “I have dispatched an ambulance and a medical doctor. Are there any other injuries?” “No. It appears he was alone. He was going to the west intermediate school for a school outing per officials. We will keep you informed of our progress.” Leader One could only make out a few of the words as the winds carried the words to them. The winds were steady at about fifteen miles per hour with gusts to twenty-five miles per hour occasionally. He was startled when he heard Icicle began to moan and groan. “We’ve got to keep him quiet.” Iceman replied, “We are out of morphine and penicillin. We used it all several hours ago.” “Oh, I forgot,” Kwon said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a first-aid kit handing it to Iceman. “I found this on the school bus near the stretcher and in the excitement I forgot it. I don’t know what’s in the kit as I haven’t opened it.” Iceman was surprised when he opened the kit. He found gauze, bandages, tape, scissors, several small syringes filled with antibiotics for infection and four small packs of morphine. He was taken aback a bit, wondering why a school bus would have morphine in its onboard first-aid kit and syringes filled with

antibiotics for infection. He was merely grateful for the fact that something was available to ease Icicle’s pain. “Man, we hit the mother lode. This should give some relief and hopefully, we will be home or I should say on the other side of the DMZ be-fo – .” His remarks were cut short as they heard one of those soldiers investigating the accident shout, “Commander Houck, I have found blood in the aisle of the bus and a small jar of something. It says something about fine face cream.” “Damn,” said Freezer,” I thought we had thrown those jars away several days ago.” Leader One said, “Well, fellows, they will soon trace that jar and know it’s belongs to the group they are looking for and soon this whole area will be crawling with Kim Jon-Il puppets. We’ve got to get some wheels and get out of here, pronto! Okay, men, let’s haul some serious ass.” They moved across the empty forested area and came upon a small KIA van. Hot-wire artist Kwon soon had the van going. They placed Icicle’s stretcher in the back and they had to leave the doors open because the stretcher was too long. Iceman said, “Well, we will certainly attract attention with the back doors hanging open and a stretcher sticking out of the back.” Leader One said, “I’m sorry but that’s the best we can do for now. We may need to find another car or vehicle of some type and possibly split up into two groups with one following the other. Keep your weapons readily available. It’s going to be tough from here on in, I’m sure.” Hesitating about sending a quick update, Leader One popped open his laptop. West side of Kaesong heading toward Panmunjom. Roads are heavily guarded; expect tough going. Have soldiers on DMZ to protect . . . if we get there. ICON GM. This time he couldn’t miss the opportunity to send a quick tweet to Maria. Hi sweetie, only a few kilometers from home (Seoul) now, see ya in a few days. G.

Kwon turned the van onto a dimly lit street. “Leader One, this is the luckiest mission I’ve ever been associated with.” “Oh! You’ve been on other missions?” “Well, yes! I have spent most of the last three years as an agent of South Korea searching out nuclear locations, chemical plants for weapons of mass destruction.” Leader One sounded a bit shocked. “Even our government never told me about you.” “No surprise. Cheong never knew of my espionage work for the South. North Korea has many plants several hundred feet deep into the ground or dug into the side of some mountains. I’m not sure that even your ‘bronco buster’ bombs would penetrate that deep.” Iceman spoke up, “Wow, Kwon, you’re the man!” “Oh-oh,” said Kwon, “We are in trouble.” “How so?” asked Freezer. “Oh, I see. This street is a dead end. We need to go back the way we came.” Knowing that time was of the essence they turned round and raced back the way they just came. “Okay, men.” Leader One said, “Keep your weapons read. I think we are headed for a real shootout.” As the van rounded the corner, they saw a military police car with lights flashing coming toward them. Suddenly the jeep turned sideways in the street forcing the van to stop. Three soldiers emerged with AKM rifles drawn, demanding the group in the van to step out, spread their hands and lie on the pavement. ICON’s men had already set their weapons on kill and the soldiers were only a

few yards away. Each man selected a soldier, fired one laser shot each and the three soldiers were dead instantly. Leader One said, “Great, that’s the vehicle we need. Hurry, get your gear, pick up Icicle, the body bag with the remains of the three soldiers and let’s get out of here. Maybe we can bluff our way past the group checking out the overturned bus.” The army vehicle was large enough to accommodate Icicle’s stretcher. Freezer and Iceman placed the dead soldiers in the abandoned van and rushed into the army vehicle. As the group pulled away, the men set their weapons on burn and soon the sky was lit up as the van with the dead soldiers burst into flames. It was 0400 hours. Kwon was driving as they approached the overturned bus. A dozen soldiers were directing the few vehicles that did approach the accident. The soldiers checked each vehicle and waved the cleared vehicle through the roadblock. Leader One said, “Men, keep your weapons handy. We will slow down but when we reach the roadblock we will put the pedal to the metal and go forward like a bat out of hell. the range of our weapons is about five hundred yards.” The shots they fired hit one army vehicle. It immediately burst into flames. It was only a few moments before the fire reached the forty-liter fuel tanks, which almost instantaneously created a huge explosion throwing molten metal and flaming fuel cans high into the air. The blast also threw several soldiers into the air, while others raced for their vehicles to pursue the accelerating commandeered army vehicle. The soldiers aborted the game of chicken jumping back when they realized the army vehicle wasn’t going to stop. As the vehicle roared past the checkpoint they saw the men in the truck were not wearing army gear. Military police futilely shouted for the vehicle to stop while their commanding officer angrily corrected the order to fire upon the vehicle. A volley of bullets shattered the windows and ripped through the sides and the top of the army truck as it roared on into the night. Leader One said, “Whew! We made it through that one but they will be after us.

Is everyone okay?” Everybody except Icicle responded in the affirmative. “Kwon, drive as fast as you can as they will soon be after us like stink on a shingle.” Leader One scanned the interior and then continued. “Men, we have accomplished our goal and the only objective now is to make it home. I would like us to stay together as much as possible. We know there are no guarantees. Once back in Seoul report to General Laparte as soon as possible. Are their any questions?” Again, everybody except Icicle was able to respond. The engine started sputtering. A steel-jacketed bullet had pierced the fuel tank, apparently sending a continuous jet stream of fuel as they sped on the road. They had gone about twenty kilometers when the engine finally died. Kwon said, “Shit! We are out of fuel.” Iceman said, “Out of fuel? How can that be? These vehicles can go for hundreds of miles before they need refilling.” Kwon said, “I don’t know but the gauge says empty.” Freezer spoke up, “Damn it, if that’s not a swift kick in the ass. Damn! So close, yet so far away.” They rolled to the side of the road, quickly jumped from the army truck, lifted Icicle’s stretcher and ran for any cover they could find, the closest being at least one hundred meters away. It was only a matter of moments before the sirens and flashing lights announced that the army had found the abandoned vehicle. A huge explosion shook the ground. Freezer replied, “What in the hell was that?” Iceman said, “I don’t know but it sure wasn’t a lady finger firecracker.”

Apparently, a chain dragging from the pursuing army truck had struck a spark, which had ignited the leaking fuel, and their abandoned truck had just exploded. A small creek beside the road provided reasonable cover for the fleeing group. They were within earshot of the military orders. They had become annoyingly familiar: “find them alive”, “the president is frustrated that we haven’t been able to catch them”, and, most importantly, “make sure you get those special weapons.” The creek bed was low and the men could see vigorous flashes of light piercing the darkness. Suddenly flares shot into the sky, burst open and lit the creek bed as bright as a noonday sun. The distant roar of rifles and the whistling of bullets announced they had been located. Rounding a bend in the creek, they gained momentary relief from the enemy. Looking ahead in the darkness, they saw a bridge over the creek. Leader One said, “Men, we are in a real bind. Weapons are charged, right?” They responded affirmatively. “Good, let’s climb up to that bridge and be ready as they will be coming down that road in a few moments. Freezer! Iceman! String a tripwire across the creek bed. Put the remainder of your C-3 explosives and set a real surprise for our pursuers. Kwon and I will carry Icicle and the body bag up to the road and hopefully we can surprise one of their vehicle drivers and secure another vehicle.” Iceman said, as they finished setting the explosives, “That ought to slow them down.” Freezer said, “Yeah, it should. We’ve placed enough explosives to wipe out a small army – especially a lousy one.” Leader One shouted down to them, “Hurry up! I see some headlights approaching.” Before Freezer and Iceman could reach the road, an army vehicle screeched to a stop. Soldiers jumped out and one of them pointing to Leader One and Kwon, said in perfect English, “You two men. Down, down on your knees and place both hands on your head. NOW!”

Undetected, Freezer and Iceman had reached the road seeing there were only four soldiers. Two were armed and two appeared to have no weapons in their hands. Leader One and Kwon set their weapons on ‘kill’ and neatly drilled two holes through the heads of the armed soldiers, who apparently were paralyzingly stunned. The noise of the falling bodies caused the other two soldiers to stand up and looking back at their fallen fellow comrades, they had stunned looks on their faces as the lasers bore two holes through their heads. Leader One said, “Good job. Let’s get Icicle loaded and get out of here.” They hurriedly loaded Icicle, rushed back into the army truck and drove into the night. They had not driven a full kilometer when a loud explosion behind announced that some of the soldiers had tripped the wires rigged with the rest of the C-3 explosives. Iceman said, “Yeah, that ought to slow them up.” The men remained quiet for a few minutes before Leader One spoke up. “Men, we have been very fortunate but we are not home yet. Let me send a message to all concerned.” For the leaders back home, he wrote: We are out of Kaesong headed toward Panmunjom. Hopeful we will make it into Freedom Village. ICON GM. He quickly and unobtrusively keyed another message. Hi Sweetie we are very near Freedom Village and hopefully we will be home in a few days. Love ya, Greco! As he closed the laptop, he heard Freezer gasp, “Oh my God!” Looking up Leader One saw an APC coming toward them. “Quick,” Leader One said to Iceman who was driving, “Turn around!” Iceman followed the order but in the turn they saw several more military vehicles – three other APCs and a T-54 tank. “Okay, men, get ready to fire your weapons and pray for a miracle. We are going

to need it.” The men were ready. “They want to play chicken so let’s do it.” The soldiers misjudged the vehicle coming at them – speeds reaching thirty-five kilometers per hour – and they swerved a moment too late. They avoided a headon crash but the heavy bumper on the rear end of the escaping vehicle hooked the soldier’s vehicles in the sides tearing and ripping metal and human flesh like rapidly melting butter. The screaming and dying lay strewn on the roadway behind them like straws blown by the wind. A rifle bullet fired by a soldier in the one remaining army vehicle found its mark as a rear tire on their truck made a huge hissing noise. The air from the blown tire ripped through the sides of the tire, shredding rubber, cords and bands of steel as though the tire was a paper bag. The fishtailing and swerving of the truck was too much for the vehicle to try and stabilize. The truck spun out of control as it turned sideways, flipping rolling repeatedly throwing Icicle, still in the hold of a severe concussion, strapped on the stretcher out on the first rollover. Miraculously, he was lucky. He was thrown far enough away that the rolling vehicle did not come near him. Kwon was knocked unconscious as his head struck a tree branch. Leader One, Freezer and Iceman suffered numerous cuts and contusions but nothing serious. They were pleased they had not lost their weapons. Iceman set his weapon on fire and immediately the pursuing army truck burst into flames but then flames reached the fuel tank. The explosion tore the truck and its occupants into hundreds of pieces. A hand with the burnt flesh falling from it struck Leader One in the face. Freezer screamed as a smoking shoe with a foot and a piece of leg still intact fell on him. Iceman was busy checking Icicle. “He is still alive but we’ve got to get him medical attention and soon.” Kwon had come to and was moaning and rubbing his head as he sat up. “What happened?” He slowly stood to his feet.

Leader One said, “We have to get out of here now. Freezer, can you help Iceman carry Icicle?” “Yes, I think so.” “Kwon, are you able to walk?” Leader One asked. “Yes, I’m a little confused and my head hurts but I can’t feel any broken bones and I can walk.” Leader one said, “Good. You carry the body bag.” Iceman said, “Icicle is my buddy. He’s injured and I’m not leaving him.” Leader One thought for a second. “Men, we will try to meet at our safe house for the crossover. We probably should split into two groups and be less noticeable.” Iceman looked relieved. Leader One said, “Everyone needs to set the timers on your laptops and destroy them and bury your bags. Keep your weapons fully charged. Also we nee…” The wailing of sirens hailed the approaching of more enemy vehicles. Each quickly dug holes to bury the backpacks and other gear, set the explosive timers for at intervals of between three and five minutes on their laptops but it was too late for them to get away as the army trucks loaded with soldiers closed in on them. Leader One tapped furiously at his keyboard. Under heavy attack. Buried backpacks set explosive timers. Final message. Lieutenant Colonel Cheon-Lee shouted in perfect English, “On your knees, place your hands on top of you heads. NOW!” The men obeyed and the soldiers took the laptops and placed them in their trucks. The Lieutenant Colonel called his superiors and acknowledged they had

captured the suspected spies but then was cut off in mid-sentence. A huge explosion shook the morning silence as the timers on the laptop computers exploded. The disruptions and the exploding laptops were enough for the men to get away. Iceman and Leader One grabbed the stretcher with Icicle on it and fled into the darkness. Kwon, carrying the body bag, shouted, “Freezer and I will head toward our safe house.” As the suspects fled into the darkness they could hear the soldiers screaming and cursing from injuries and the Lt. Colonel shouting to pursue them. Leader One and Iceman carrying Icicle on a stretcher were lucky. They soon found a small pickup with the keys in the switch. They placed Icicle in the back, and with lights off they sped away into the early morning light. Freezer and Kwon fled in opposite directions. They heard more shouts and saw high-powered portable lights piercing the darkness behind them. They decided to flee on foot for a while cutting across the streets and roads. Soon they heard the sound of dogs behind them and knew they would have to commandeer an escape vehicle. They found a small stream and waded into the water hoping to confuse the dogs. They waded downstream for a while – some four hundred meters – before crossing over the other bank. The water near the banks was between five and six meters deep. They climbed the banks of the stream and came up behind several small bamboo huts with tin roofs. Behind one of the huts they found two bicycles. As they pedaled toward Freedom Village, the barking of the dogs faded into the distance. They were just a bit less than one and a half kilometers away from Freedom Village. Freezer spoke first. “I sure hope the guys found a vehicle to transport Icicle.” Kwon replied, “I do too. We are just a few hours away from Freedom Village. Since it is getting close to daylight we will probably have to hang out someplace until dark to go home.” “Yeah, I hope we can find a place to rest. I’m pooped,” Freezer said, sounding nearly exhausted.

“I think I know just the place for us.” “Really? Where?” “Do you the man we were driving the vehicle up country to deliver?” “Yeah, I .” “Well, he has a nearly blind aunt named Jang. She lives about one kilometer or less from my house. When my brother and I were growing up, our mother used to bake bread from flour smuggled in and we would take some to her.” “Do you think we can trust her?” “Absolutely. My brother, Cheong and I would also go there and play with her nephew when he came to visit her. The nephew is the one we delivered the vehicle to.” “You sound like the man with the plan.” They rode on into the waning darkness. The sun was just barely peeping over the edge of the world when Kwon with a questioning flatuglance looked over at Freezer and said, “My, what’s that smell?” as he knocked on the blind woman’s back door. Freezer replied, “I don’t know. It isn’t me. I smell it too. Maybe it’s a dead dog or cat.” From within a voice asked who was at the door. “It’s Kwon and a friend. May we come in?” The voice within was certainly not hesitant and seemed cheery at the prospect of an old friend. A tiny woman – perhaps four feet eleven at most with beautiful white hair – opened the door and spoke to Kwon in the native dialect. “Kwon, how nice to have you visit me. What brings you out so early in the morning?”

“Well, a few weeks ago we delivered a van to your nephew. He is starting a taxi business in Hamhung.” “Yes, yes. He wrote me.” “We need a place to rest until dark. There are some people following us and we just need a safe place until tonight.” “That will be fine. I will place you in the attic and wake you after dark.” “Have you noticed any particular extra activity on our street?” “No, just the normal activities – kids running and playing kickball. Is there any particular reason?”Chapter 63 M AJOR GENERAL MYUN-SOOK learned that the man at the deserted farmhouse, who identified himself as Kwon Jong Hwvan, was from Freedom Village. He ordered a special security force group of men to keep the address in Freedom Village under constant surveillance and report any activity involving that address directly to him. Once it was dark, after a short rest Kwon and Freezer emerged from their friend’s home and slowly moved among the shadows toward Kwon’s home. All was quiet when Kwon gently unlocked and opened his front door. He was unaware of the small wire located at the top of the door that easily broke a circuit when he and Freezer entered the house. They lit a candle that Kwon always kept on a table beside the front door of his home, especially because Freedom Village frequently had brownouts. He quietly observed the room. Everything was in place exactly as when they left the house a few short weeks ago. The room contained a broken bookrack with one side braced by two bricks, a small coffee table, photos of his parents on the wall, a small wood-burning stove with a stovepipe running through the ceiling and up into the roof. A teak kettle sat on the stovetop. Some of the cupboards were open, revealing a meager collection of nondescript dishes, pots and pans. The two windows were still closed, framed by some ragged curtains. Feeling less tense both men quickly moved to the bedroom that housed the secret access to the free side of the DMZ. Unknown to them, a flashing computer screen and a loud humming woke a sleeping security guard less than a block away. The guard rubbed his eyes, stumbled to his feet as he suddenly realized the alarm had gone off at the house

they were supposed to guard. He rapidly moved six men into place surrounding Kwon’s home. The agent in charged noted the broken wire at the top of the door. He quietly grasped the door opener and eased into the house. He motioned for two more men to follow him inside the house. They heard two whispering voices coming from another room. In hushed tones, he heard one of them. “I will lay the body bag on the bed and help me move this bed to one side.” Another voice replied, “Kwon, what is this bed made out of? Lead?” The other voice said in a chuckling tone, “No, I hand made this bed to last forever so I could use it as security for my escape route.” The sound from the pushing of the wooden bed across the floor masked any other noises in the house. Not knowing they were being observed from the doorway of the room, they moved the heavy hand-woven rug and pulled up the equally bulky metal-reinforced door that led to freedom, their escape hatch to South Korea. Freezer was almost halfway into the escape tunnel when he heard a chilling voice order them to stop. Kwon’s face paled as he turned and, saw the North Korean special security force’s guard. The next moments seemed like a stopaction sequence of photos as Freezer pulled his weapon that he had stuck into his waistband and squeezed the trigger. Noiselessly, a large, golf ball-sized hole appeared between the guard’s eyes. Kwon had never stood this close to someone who had been killed with this weapon. He froze, stunned, at the hole in the security guard’s forehead. It was mayhem as Freezer shouted for Blue Moon to get the ladder down. More volleys were fired as Freezer jerked Blue Moon into the escape hole and together they fell to the bottom of the hole, about two and a half meters deep. Both men quickly scrambled to their feet as they raced to unlock the escape door, only to discover it was jammed. Two more security guards leaped into the hole just as Freezer turned toward the men and fired his weapon. The invisible laser beam struck one man in the heart; the man collapsing as he ushered forth a strange gasp-scream. The other guard fired one shot before he was killed. The security guards outside the house hearing the shot rushed through the front door finding their squad leader dead. They cautiously entered the bedroom door as they heard the sound of a pistol

shot coming from the opening in the floor. They peeked into the hole and saw the other two guards lying dead at the bottom of the hole and they then heard what sounded like the closing or opening of a metal door. Several moments ed before one of the security guards ventured down into the tunnel. He held his Type 68 pistol, which was modeled after the old Soviet Tokarev TT, in one hand and a burning candle in the other hand. He saw two men wrestling with the jammed door. He fired one shot. As the bullet whizzed past the Freezer’s and Kwon’s heads Freezer turned and attempted to fire his weapon but it had lost its charge. In the excitement, he had forgotten to place his weapon next to his body so the heat would recharge it. The special guard quickly disarmed Freezer and radioed for backup. He holstered his weapon, dug a little hole in the wall of the tunnel and inserted the candle into the hole. Then he checked the two guards. Both guards were dead. He noted the strange round holes in their bodies. He shouted to the other guards in the house. “Radio our superior and advise him of the strange round holes and no blood on bodies. We may have found the men with the strange weapons that we have been searching for.” One of the guards immediately called Major-General Myun-Sook. “Major General, we are at the house of Kwon Jong Hwvan. We have him and another man with him in custody.” “That’s good. Hold them in the stockade until I can get there. I should be there by tomorrow morning.” The Major General was jubilant, thrusting his clenched right fiat into the air. Turning to his driver, he said, “Bring my car around now! We need to go to the Freedom Village stockade.” While he waited for the driver to bring the army vehicle around, he dialed the president’s office. He was surprised when the president picked the phone up directly. “Mr. President I think we have at last captured two men. One of them also has the strange weapon that we have been searching for.”

“Good,” the president snapped. “Keep me apprised.” He hung up the phone immediately. Using his two-way radio, the special security guard asked for more assistance in the escape tunnel. Handcuffed, Freezer felt like a fool for not keeping his weapon charged. He kept berating himself for having overlooked the most obvious maneuver that had seemed so automatic throughout the entire mission. Never had he imagined that such a simply overlooked step would jeopardize the mission and threaten to end his life.

CHAPTER 64

L OOKING OVER AT Iceman, Leader One said, “It’s almost daylight. We need to find a place to hide ’til dark.” “You’re right but where?” “We know, for sure, the DMZ is very closely guarded so maybe we should just go back to Freedom Village. Besides there is something really bothering me.” Iceman replied, “Yeah, what’s bothering you”? “Well it’s probably nothing but it’s been eating on me this whole mission.” Iceman let out an exasperated sigh. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me.” “Have you ever thought how funny it is that the soldiers were either at the spot or on their way to each of these locations just before or just after we arrive?” “Well, no, not really. But now that you mention it, it is rather strange.” “How the soldiers just happened to be at those old abandoned farm buildings or their being on the train headed toward our first stop?” “No, I didn’t really think about it. Do you think he was a double agent?” Leader One said, “I don’t know but maybe Cheong was also a double agent.” “Well I had worked with him for the past couple of years and I’ve never noted anything different or unusual about him or his brother Cheong.” Perhaps they had missed a small, inconsequential act that would have been a critical piece in their inquiry. The two men went back – in the shadows about one hundred meters away – and they were in luck finding an abandoned shed a few hundred feet away from Kwon’s house. They watched in amazement as the soldiers led one handcuffed

man out of Kwon’s house and they were carrying someone on a stretcher that they placed in an ambulance. They heard someone shout the major general’s orders to hold them in the town stockade until his arrival the next morning. Leader One said, “Well, they have captured one of them. Get the binoculars and see who the captured one is and then we will proceed with our plans.” Iceman picked up his binoculars and scanned the scene to his information. “The one being led out is Freezer. Uh oh, here comes Kwon.” Iceman grabbed Leader One’s right shoulder. “Holy shit. He is laughing and not even handcuffed. Wait a minute. They are coming out with two more stretchers.” Once the three stretchers were in the ambulance, the soldiers left but there were signs that they would be returning. Not knowing when, Leader One and Iceman acknowledged the tremendous risk they were taking. “Leader One said, “Iceman, stay here and look after Icicle.” “Well, where are you going?” asked Iceman. “I’ve never lost a man in any of my missions yet and I’m too damn old to start losing men now. I’m going to get Freezer.” Leader One paused for just a second. “Send a message to General Laparte, and have him send some men ASAP to the tunnel and have them meet you on the other side of the door. Don’t worry about me. Just get Icicle to a hospital. I will get Freezer and see you on the other side. We’re going to give it our best shot.” Iceman, ing they had destroyed their laptops, discovered a small transmitter on Icicle’s stretcher. He quickly set the correct megahertz band on the transmitter and requested medical assistance at the tunnel for Icicle. Iceman’s challenge, however, was to move Icicle safety to the tunnel. He

ed reading in some old history books in grade school how the Indians made a travois and let one end of the travois drag on the ground while a horse carried the other end. It was worth a shot, Iceman decided. The transmitter buzzed and Iceman answered. Six men and a medic were on their way to the tunnel and they would be there in an hour. Iceman drove the truck that they had stolen close to Kwon’s house. He gently laid Icicle and the stretcher on the ground then. He then picked up the end at Icicle’s head, dragging the stretcher into Kwon’s house and into the bedroom. The travois idea had worked to Iceman’s satisfaction. Iceman heard Icicle faintly groan. Icicle was sweating, his body and face showing the effects of a raging fever. The concern now was that he could lapse into toxic shock or blood poisoning. Iceman took the last small packet of powdered morphine and sprinkled it on Icicle’s gunshot wounds. Hearing the noise in the tunnel Iceman went to the door, hearing soldiers – Americans – on the other side. He raised the bars on his side and stepped back as they burst through the door into the tunnel. The group followed Iceman into the bedroom and the medic immediately assessed Icicle’s condition. The medic checked Icicle’s shoulder wound and the bullet nick on his head. The medic quickly assessed the extent of infection that had started to mushroom in the shoulder wound. X-rays would be needed to situate the seriousness of the head wound. “How long has he been unconscious?” Iceman said, “He comes and goes. Sometimes, he’s conscious and sometimes he’s not. We have been able to use some morphine to help ease the pain. We used all our army-issued medications to help fight the infection but we ran out of those the other day.” In less than two minutes, they were ready to transport him to hospital. One of the other men spoke up. “Where are the other men with you and what is this body bag on the bed?” Iceman said, “That body bag, I think, contains the remains of three missing soldiers from the 1950s.”

The squad asked for Iceman to confirm his name and identification tag numbers as well as Icicle’s. Iceman added, “Freezer and Kwon were sent to a nearby stockade and Leader One went to get them.” The man, obviously the leader of the group, said, “Okay, here’s our plan. Iceman, you and Icicle will go with our two men through the tunnel and the rest of us will go to assist Leader One.” The team had been apprised of the code names only. No actual identities had been vetted to them prior to their medical rescue mission. Another of the soldiers spoke up. The muscular-looking Sergeant Charles Lederman, twenty-eight, had done some surveillance work and knew the stockade well having negotiated prisoner releases. “I know exactly where the stockade is located. I was one of those responsible who visited the stockade in years gone by to find who of our men – if any – were prisoners. Then we would do negotiations and prisoner exchanges. They usually hold captured men there for twenty-four to forty-eight hours while they processed them and charged them. Then they transferred them to a much larger, more secured prison.” One of the soldiers took hold of one end of the stretcher and Iceman held the other end as they raced through the tunnel leaving the tunnel door open. The medic followed them carrying the body bag with the remains of the three soldiers. He also carried two of the backpacks. The other four soldiers left for the stockade. Chapter 65 L EADER ONE, FOR a man well into his forties, was in great shape and he covered the less than two kilometers without much stress or strain at all to reach his destination. The pines, Bush honeysuckle, and wisteria made an excellent cover for him. Leader One observed the men removing the two covered stretchers and carrying them into the building, protected by a five-meter high fence with barbed wire. He was close enough to hear the conversations of the soldiers and had his suspicions confirmed as Kwon stepped out of one vehicle. Leader One heard him say, “I am proud of my work. I have been a double agent for more than twenty years as well as my brother, Cheong. We have known the president since our school days.” The duplicitous swap was ridiculously simple. North Korean officials had taken

a spy sent into the country and had commandeered his identity for their purposes. Cheong, Kwon’s brother, had been trained and was soon awarded the stolen identity. Every file had been swapped out without any suspicion on the part of American officials. Freezer was taken out of the security vehicle when he heard Kwon’s remarks and replied, “Why, you lousy SOB. Be thankful that I’m handcuffed or I would rip your throat out.” Kwon laughed. “You Americans are so dumb. Who do you think conveniently kept dropping the fine face cream jars and not just only beside the road after the bus crash did I leave Iceman’s backpack open. Nevertheless, it made all of you to think the jar had just fallen out by accident. When we dropped the van off at my friend’s house, we gave him of the locations of the two nuclear plants. Who do you think left the strap to a backpack conveniently exposed?” Kwon felt no compulsion for restraint or discretion at this point. His deep-seated animosity for the United States was no longer contained. Freezer looked as if was ready to spit in Kwon’s face. Kwon continued. “Why do you think I led you to the old farmhouse? I told the soldiers then my address and where we were going in Freedom Village. Yeah, I kept leaving fine face cream jars along the way as signs to those following they were following the right group.” Leader One didn’t know how much else he had told them but it was time to stop him before he further damaged the mission – which already had been damn near catastrophic. With careful aim, he set his weapon on laser and pointed it at Kwon who immediately fell dead to the ground, a golf ball-sized hole in his head. The three soldiers stood gaping as they saw Kwon fall to the ground. Freezer took immediate advantage of the distraction, and noticed Leader One in the shrubs waving his arm in quick motions. Freezer leaned over and picked up the weapon one of the soldiers dropped when he fled toward safety. He ran toward the shrubs as Leader One set his weapon on fire and torched two of the soldiers. Remarkably, Freezer made it safely into the bushes. Leader One turned his weapon on laser and melted the handcuffs’ chains to the

extent that Freezer would not be harmed. Only remnants of the chain and one cuff remained on Freezer’s right wrist. Freezer said, “Did you hear what Kwon said?” “Yeah, I heard.” “Do you believe him? Hey, where is Iceman and Icicle? Are they okay? How did you know where we were? I didn’t expect to see you ’til the end and a little while ago I thought it was completely finished for me.” “Let’s get back to Kwon’s house. Meanwhile, one question at a time.” As they jogged the less than two kilometers back to Kwon’s house, Leader One brought Freezer up to date. “Now to answer your questions, When we split up we checked several places along the DMZ but they were heavily guarded so we decided the best place might be Kwon’s house so we went there. We arrived in time to see you and Kwon led out of the house. You in handcuffs and he is uncuffed. Iceman and I both thought it was funny – one of you cuffed and one not cuffed. Then I got to thinking about the fine face cream jar lost near the bus wreck, the other jars scattered along the way and how he and Cheong wanted to delivered the van by themselves.” Freezer interrupted. “Yeah that’s exactly what he was bragging about at the stockade.” “Right then I got to thinking about how the soldiers were on the train and how they seemed to always be wherever we were shortly after we arrived at the nuclear plants.” Suddenly from the darkness, a commanding voice boomed in perfect English. “Halt and lift your hands over your head.” Both men stopped and did as commanded. They turned. A single shot was fired from the direction of the stockade. Leader One slumped backward and fell on the ground. The special ops force fired a volley of shots toward the stockade.

Suddenly, it was quiet. Freezer dropped to his knees beside Leader One. “Leader One! Greco, Greco.” There was no response. The still unseen voice asked for identification. Freezer was confident that it was one of the theirs. “My name is Sergeant Billy John, serial number four-three-seven-eight-twofour-five-five-six. Code name, Freezer, Sir.” “ Okay put your hands down.” The squad leader for the special ops group – himself an extraordinarily fit man in his middle thirties with a solid five-feet, ten-inch muscular frame – examined Greco and said, “We need to pick him up and get out of here. Pronto! In a few moments they will be all over us.” Two of the soldiers picked Greco up and started jogging toward Kwon’s home and the escape tunnel. Freezer One said, “Does anyone have a handcuff key?” The squad commander nodded, “I do but it might not fit those Chinese-made handcuffs. Let’s see. Hold out your hands.” Freezer put his hands out and the key wouldn’t fit. He would have to wait until they were in safe haven. The squad leader said, “Let’s hurry. Soon as the element of surprise is gone at the stockade they will swarm out of the stockade like hornets from a hive that’s been hit with a stick!” Freezer laughed at the quaint metaphor. “Oh, so you were raised in the country?” The squad leader said, “No, why do you ask?” “Well, I was and we had a creek near the old country school I went to as boys,

we used to go down on the creek and chunk rocks at hornets’ nest and then run like hell to get away from the swarming buggers. Whoever didn’t get stung was leader for the rest of the school week and the rest of us did whatever he commanded.” The squad leader chuckled. Freezer then ed about the others. “What about Iceman and Icicle?” “Are you referring to the man on the stretcher and the one with him?” Freezer was anxious. The commander said, “Well, Sir, I’m sure by now they are on their way to the hospital. The one on the stretcher…” Freezer interrupted, “Yes, that’s Icicle!” “We brought a medic with us and your friend appears to be in very serious condition. We gave him a shot of morphine. He seemed extremely delirious.” The concern was that the infection was on the verge of spiraling out of control. Icicle’s body temperature had gone well past ninety-nine degrees and was now in the lower one hundred range and rising. They reached Kwon’s house and, as they entered, Leader One began to stir and started to mumble incoherently. He seemed okay, no apparent signs of immediate health danger that couldn’t wait until they were in safer environs. The commander said, “Let’s hurry into the tunnel and we will check him on the other side of the DMZ zone. The CO told his men to set some charges to blow up the house and the last man into the tunnel was assigned to set more charges to destroy the tunnel.” As the men scrambled out the other end of the tunnel, they heard the explosion of Kwon’s house. Looking back, they saw a few pieces of the house fill the air along with billowing columns of black smoke. The flames rose and died quickly and as the flames died, they heard the second rumbling explosion – this time from within the tunnel. The men climb into the army jeep. They held Leader One, who was conscious but extremely groggy.

Freezer spoke up. “I want to see Icicle and Iceman. Take me to them.” The squad CO said, “Be patient. You will see them. The next stop is the hospital to have you checked out, okay?” Leader One surprised everyone when in instant clarity he asked if anyone was carrying a laptop. His request came in such a clear, strong voice, as if someone had flipped a switch inside him from semiconscious groggy to full alert. The CO said, “No, Sir, but I’m sure we can get one at the hospital. You need to stay still. Sir, you’ve been shot. We will be to the hospital soon.” The ride to the hospital – only a bit more than a half dozen kilometers away – was taking too long in Leader One’s mind. A mission ended but his mind was generating endless stream of new questions.

CHAPTER 66

T HE ARMY MEDIC worked quickly to set Icicle up with an IV and infectionfighting antibiotics. Iceman kept repeating, “He’s going to be all right, isn’t he, Doc? Is he going to make it?” The medic replied, “Well it’s a miracle he has lasted this long. He obviously is tough but we can only do so much. He’s been fighting this growing infection a long time now and we can only perform so many miracles. If you are a religious man, a prayer would definitely help.” Iceman replied, “I’ve been praying all along.” The medic picked up his cell phone and called the hospital asking for an infection specialist to meet him as soon as they arrived. They were still about twenty minutes away. Iceman, on edge and constantly checking on Icicle’s condition, was greatly relieved when the ambulance finally backed into the emergency area. Hospital aides immediately moved Icicle into one of the trauma units. Meanwhile, iceman went with a nurse to another area so he could be checked out for any medical conditions or untreated injuries. The doctor told Iceman his blood pressure reading was normal, a good sign considering the stress that he and the others had encountered in the last several weeks. “Yeah what is it, Doc?” Iceman asked. “Your blood pressure is one hundred twenty-eight over seventy-seven. After examining your heart you appear to be in good physical shape but we do want to run some blood tests.” “Why?”

“Just to be sure you’ve not picked up any viruses or bugs while in North Korea.” A nurse arrived and without speaking drew three vials of Iceman’s blood and left. “Wow, that’s a lot of blood you’re taking. Why so much blood?” The doctor replied, “We have recently discovered a deadly bacterium found in water. She will have the results in a few minutes.” “Well, I’ve only been drinking water that we added purifying pills to in to make sure it was safe to drink.” “I’m not talking about drinking water.” “Well, what other kind of water are you talking about? I only used my purified water to brush my teeth.” “Let me ask you, Sergeant. While you were on this mission did you get wet?” “Well, sure we all got wet. It rained and…” “I’m not talking about rainwater. Did you have to swim in any water?” “Are you kidding, Doc?” “Just tell me: Were you immersed in river water for any length of time?” “Hell, yes! We spent a few hours in the Doo Man River and I did feel like I was water logged after all the hours I spent in the Tae Dong River. Why?” “Did you have any open wounds while you were in the water?” “Nooo… Well, two of us had some bleeding wounds when leeches were removed from our skin and Erick’s gunshot wound – at least that’s all I am aware of.” “We will test all of you to see if any of you – or maybe everyone – has Vibrio vulnificus.” “What do you mean ‘vibero vulancanious’ or however you pronounce that

million-dollar word! Explain this in every day layman’s , Doc” “Well, it is a necrotizing fasciitis…” “Come on, doc. Layman’s . Layman’s . What in the hell are you saying?” “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” “Hell yes, Doc. Quit jerking me around and tell me what it is.” “Okay, it is a flesh-eating bacterium that destroys body tissues. Normally it is found in warm saltwater but we are not going to take any chances.” “It’s a what!? Doc, this isn’t a sci-fi story or movie. It’s real life.” “Sergeant, I am dead serious. The bacteria usually enter the body through an open wound. Once it gets into the blood stream it can quickly spread.” “Can I see Icicle – or I mean Sergeant Mac – Doctor?” “Sorry, not right now. I’m waiting for the report on your blood we are testing.” “How much longer, Doc?” Given Icicle’s condition, the staff wanted to make sure that none of the other men faced latent risks of serious infection. “Oh, before I forget. We received a call that two more of your group are now on their way here.” “Only two? There were three, Doctor. Who are the two?” “I don’t know. We just received word that the special ops group were bringing in two more men. Why don’t you go out and wait in the waiting room next to the emergency entrance. That’s where they will enter.” In his mind, Leyton Wesley was praying and asking God to, please, spare his best friend Sergeant Mac. Lord, I wonder which two made it back safely. Leyton paced the lobby anxiously, constantly peering out the doors and large

windows. He went to the men’s room to relieve himself and just as he was coming out, the doors to the emergency area burst open. Two special ops soldiers and Freezer walked in followed by two others ing Leader One who was walking with a limp. Sergeant Leyton Wesley ran, grabbed Freezer, and hugged him and then began shouting, “We did it! We did it! Where is Kwon? What happened to Greco?” Freezer – Sergeant Billy John – simply said, “He didn’t make it.” One of the men carrying Leader One said, “Greco was shot just as we reached them!” “He was shot? How bad? Is it serious?” “Geez!” Sergeant Wesley said. “We lost Cheong and now we lost his brother Kwon and Greco has been shot.” The emergency unit itting officer quickly ushered the two new arrivals into examining rooms. They asked Sergeant Wesley to wait in the waiting room. Leader One was put on a gurney and wheeled in a trauma unit next door to where Icicle was being treated. They cut away his mud-caked and bloodspattered clothing and removed his bulletproof vest. Greco complained of his chest feeling very painful while one of the doctors took X-rays. In a few minutes the doctor came back into the trauma unit and said to Greco, “You are one lucky man.” Greco said, “What do you mean lucky? I’m lucky to be alive or what?” The doctor said, “You were shot but there are no bullet entries or exits.” “Doctor, that doesn’t make sense!” The doctor held up a chain with a badly bent Saint Christopher medal. “Look, Greco. This medal saved your life.” The doctor continued, “You have a bad bruise on your chest. Sometimes these new bullets being used in North Korea will penetrate a bulletproof vest as in this case but it was stopped by the medal.”

Greco was unable to hold his stoicism any longer. Tears glistened in his eyes as he thought to himself how this medal – a gift from Maria – had now saved his life twice. The doctor patted Greco on the shoulder, reassuring him that he was going to be just fine. There was no need to dwell on the fortunate circumstances any more than what already had been accomplished. It was almost noon by the time Greco and Billy John’s examinations were finished. Greco secured a laptop and sent a quick message to Maria; We are safe and now back in Seoul. I will be coming home sometime later this week. I want you to know the St. Christopher medal you gave me saved my life – again. I’ll tell you more when I see you. I love you so much. You are my angel. Love, G. A debriefing was scheduled the following afternoon with General Laparte. He had requested that all able-bodied men of the mission be present. The only one who wouldn’t be able to attend was Icicle. The mood in the general’s office was anti-climactic, the sense of exhaustion catching up now quickly for everybody involved in the mission. They stood crisply at attention, however, when the General entered the office. “Men, let me first say that I have just come from Sergeant Erick’s hospital room. He is resting, and his condition remains gravely critical so if you have ever prayed for a miracle you need to pray one for him now. The doctor said the next seventy-two hours would be difficult and if he can make it through those hours, he has a good chance of surviving.” The General paused for a moment. Greco squeezed Leyton’s right shoulder. Leyton held back the deep emotion that had continued to well up inside him. “You men have done a great service to your country. I am recommending a promotion with medals of honor for each of you and that definitely includes Sergeant Erick.” The men shook each other’s hand. “Now tell me, Greco, how did you find the special hand weapon? Did it serve you well? Was it useful?” Greco spoke, “General, I think the weapon has the greatest possibilities for what we need to do It is an extremely useful weapon. I will let the other two men speak for themselves.”

Leyton and Billy John were like excited twelve-year-old boys, recounting how the weapon always stunned the enemy. Leyton spoke first. “I think it’s a fantastic weapon and has great possibilities in the future. It’s silent. It doesn’t reveal where and when the weapon was fired. It far exceeds the infrared laser beam because, like I said, it doesn’t reveal the direction where the shot came from and has many capabilities even more than what we already saw.” Billy John cleared his throat. “The thing, Sir, that bothers me is what happens if rogue nations or terrorists get this weapon? We all know what happened with the atomic bomb and the nuclear problem with Iran, and now we just completed a mission into North Korea?” The General said, “Yes, this is the danger the U.S. faces with any of these weapons and our only hope is that when that time comes we will have developed more advanced weapons to combat these problems.” “Gentlemen, I really appreciate your candid answers. I believe those weapons will be available for army use within the next eighteen to twenty four months. We hope to develop a longer range for its effectiveness.” Sergeant Leyton Wesley spoke up, “General, as you know we lost Cheong and his brother Kwon in the mission and my…” The General replied, “Yes, Sergeant, I have known for quite some time that we had a mole in our network and we had suspected Cheong but we were never quite sure. That is one of the reasons we selected him and his brother to lead you men.” Greco spoke up, “Yes, General, Sergeant Billy John – as well as myself – heard Kwon bragging about he and his brother being double agents. I shot him at the stockade before he could reveal any more information about the group or the men under my command. He itted being a double agent – a traitor – and I could not jeopardize the safety of my men.” Sergeant Wesley was visibly shaken at Greco’s news.

Greco said, “General, may I add something else to this meeting before it is adjourned?” “Certainly, go ahead.” “I have worked as an uncover agent for the CIA for many years and, with all due respect, I have not worked with a finer group of men than these guys.” The accolades were handed off and exchanged for the next few minutes. Everybody seemed immensely pleased and relieved. “Anything else? Okay men, I am recommending a ninety-day leave for each of you. You have done a great service for your country. We are all proud of how you pulled this mission off. Men, you are dismissed.” The General whispered to Greco to stay a bit longer.

CHAPTER 67

A S THEY LEFT the office, Sergeant John turned to Sergeant Wesley and said, “So where are you going for your ninety days?” “Oh I don’t know. I think I will stay on base for a few days, check on Erick, and then fly home to visit my family for a few days. How about you?” “Before I leave, I want to make sure that Erick is going to be okay and then I’ll leave for home to visit my Mom and Dad. I have a girlfriend back home that I’ve been writing to for the last two years. I think it may be getting serious.” “Elise and I went to SMU, graduated together, and I went into the service and she just began to work on her doctorate in psychology. Now she’s graduated and after two years of writing and an occasional phone call she finally itted she was ready to settle down so she would open her practice in Dallas. And, I agreed to open my photography shop.” His face reddened a bit. The silence suggested that he was ready to tie the knot. The two shook hands and said they would see each other again in three months. Sergeant Wesley walked slowly down the hall back to his room and as he ed the chapel, he heard a rich baritone voice call out, “Good afternoon Sergeant Wesley.” “Hello, Chaplain Hemmer.” “Why are you so down in the mouth, Sergeant? It is good to see you back home. Will you be in service this coming Sunday?” “I dunno, Chaplain Hemmer. It seems like God doesn’t answer prayers anymore so why should I go to church?” “Really? You don’t think God answers prayers anymore? Do you have a few minutes?”

The Sergeant hesitated, thinking for a moment, and then told the chaplain he’d like to chat. He was raised in a Christian home. They read the Bible, had family prayer, and attended church but not consistently. His parents were divorced when he was still a small boy but he lived with his father and even though he prayed hard they both went their ways when it came to spirituality. He wavered in that large field of uncertainty, leaning more toward the belief that God really didn’t care. The trials and resilient struggles involving Icicle had further unsettled his mind. He felt compelled to resolve this one way or the other. “Now tell me why you believe God doesn’t answer prayer.” “My two best buddies Sergeant John, Sergeant Erick and myself went on a special mission into North Korea. Sergeant Erick was shot.” The chaplain interrupted. “Oh! I’m so sorry to hear that. Was he killed?” “No. He’s now in the hospital. He may not live and Cheong the man I’ve worked with for the past two years was killed. Now I learn that Cheong was a double agent along with his brother Kwon. My world is crumbling all about me. I don’t know who to rely on anymore.” Chaplain Hemmer replied, “I think I know Sergeant Erick. Didn’t he come with you to Sunday morning services a few times?” “Yes, he did.” “If I’m not mistaken. He made a commitment to God one morning.” Sergeant Wesley replied, “Yes he did. As a matter of fact, that was about four weeks ago just before we left on this mission.” He continued, “I well that Sunday morning you spoke to the group that attended about being prepared for the unexpected. That none of us know what the day holds from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. It made a great impression on Sgt. Erick and since then the events that we have lived through have served to remind me again and again how fragile life really

is.” “Aaaaah, so that’s why I didn’t see him again. Is he here at the base hospital?” “Yes, he is” “I will be sure to visit him. But, first, tell me why do you think God doesn’t answer prayers?” “My friend is near the point of death. He’s very sick.” “Okay. But he is not dead, is he?” “Of course, not. He better not die.” “When your friend was first shot, how did you pray?” “Well, I prayed: Dear God, help him to live until we can get him to the hospital.” “Did you get him to a hospital?” “Yes, he is in ICU right now.” “Sergeant, my friend, God has heard your prayer. Your friend is in the hospital and he is still alive.” “Well, yes but…” “But what?” “I want him to survive. He’s my best friend. We were born about an hour apart on the same day. He was born in Florida and I was born in Texas.” “Sergeant, are you a born-again believer?” “Of course. I was about twelve years old and I visited my great-grandmother in Oklahoma one summer. She sent me to a youth Bible camp and there I made my decision to give my life to God. She was a very godly woman. In fact, she even was a secretary for an army chaplain at one of the bases in Oklahoma.” “Sergeant, let me remind you that even the regenerated soul sometimes suffers

from the feeling that God is far from him and doesn’t hear his prayers. Let me give you an example and I will paraphrase In Daniel 10: it tells us Daniel had been fasting and in prayer but seemingly there are no answers from God. Twenty-one days ed and suddenly a hand touched him and in the vision the ‘angel’ said, ‘Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day… thy words were heard.” Chaplain Hemmer paused for a moment before continuing. “Sometimes when God seems so far away and our communion with him seems broken, it may be just a temporary break in God-conscious communion. Whenever that is the case, the cure is faith. Trust God in the dark until the light comes. And, should the sense of remoteness persist in spite of prayer in what you believe is faith, look to your inner life for wrong attitudes, evil thoughts or dispositional flaws. These can create a psychological gulf between you and God. Put away the evil from you. Believe and the sense of nearness will be restored. You will discover that God was never away. He heard you the first time you prayed.” The Sergeant’s mood brightened immediately at the chaplain’s reassuring words. They prayed together and then left to visit Sergeant Erick. When they entered his room in ICU, he was asleep. The chaplain prayed along with Sergeant Wesley and as he finished the attending physician entered the room. “We have a very serious case of infection. We have about another fortyeight hours before we know if he is going to make it. He has responded to the drugs we have given him. He is strong and I want you to know that I believe prayer changes things. Prayer works miracles. Given his injuries and medical condition when he was brought in, I was astounded that he didn’t die even before then. Now let’s let him rest and we will continue to monitor him through the night.” Sergeant Wesley was still worried, but feeling a bit more optimistic after his talk with the chaplain. He returned to his room and turned to one of his favorite scriptures in the Old Testament – I Chronicles 4:10. He read aloud to himself, “And Jabez called on the name of the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me. And God granted him that which he requested.” Then Sergeant Wesley asked God for forgiveness for his shortcomings and to work a miracle within the life of

his friend in the hospital. He slept well and was awakened the next morning by the ringing of the phone. Groggily, he answered, “Hello?” It was the hospital advising him to come in immediately. He rapidly dressed himself and called the chaplain leaving a message to meet him at the hospital. Fearing the worst, he rushed to the hospital and entered Sergeant Erick’s private room in ICU. There at the foot of the bed the chaplain stood talking to Sergeant Erick who was up and smiling weakly. Sergeant Wesley blinked, rubbed his eyes, and let out a loud whoop – strong enough for the nurse to onish him with her right index finger. “It’s a miracle. God heard my prayer. He is out of the coma. Thank God!” He walked over to the bed, and patted Sergeant Erick on his left shoulder. “You’re going to make it buddy and I’ll be here for you!” He was still very weak. He did not speak. He only blinked his eyes,

CHAPTER 68

E ARLIER AT THE office, once the others had left, General Laparte asked Greco to sit. “So you are the famous Bird of Prey? I your undercover work at the Olympics in Greece a few years ago, and then you created a list of profiles of the notorious MS13 gang and the disarming of two nuclear suitcase bombs in Nevada. You are quite the unsung hero to say the least.” “General, I love my country. I know there are many today who would like to destroy our nation or see it incapacitated. I know that there are many who want to destroy our freedom and our way of life.” Greco was a complex man of extraordinary commitment to detail. However, his loyalty to country and dedication to service were uncomplicated. To anyone, it was as clear as it could possibly be. “So what do you plan to do now?” “I will go back to Washington D.C. Have a debriefing with the CIA and then take my wife on a much deserved vacation.” “Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot you are married?” “Yes, Sir, and we are awaiting the arrival of our first baby this coming January. The doctor says it will be twins.” “That sounds great. Greco, we will fly you home on one of our army planes. In fact, I have a meeting with the t Chiefs of Staff, which will include you this coming week but I am going home a few days early. Why don’t you fly with me? Besides, I want to ask you several personal questions concerning the new handheld weapon.” It was Monday and the General said he would be leaving Friday. Greco appreciated the offer but said, “But I have already emailed my wife that I would be coming home tomorrow. If I wait three more days she will begin to worry again and I don’t want her worrying anymore. Besides I’m more than anxious to

see her.” “I understand and I will see you next week at the meeting. Have a safe journey home and give my best wishes to your wife and your new babies.” Back in his room at the hospital, Greco packed. In less than thirty hours, he would be home. Epilogue I N JULY OF 2007, the IAEA confirmed that North Korea had started to shut down its main nuclear plant at Pyongsong. It is hoped they will continue to dismantle their nuclear weapons. Sergeant Mac Erick recovered from his gunshot wounds and the infection that ravaged his body. However, the infection did damage his heart. He spent several weeks in the hospital before receiving a medical discharge. His best buddy Sergeant Leyton Wesley accompanied him back to his hometown in Melbourne, Florida where he continues to undergo therapy for his left shoulder. He is working as a video and camera communications expert with one of the major broadcast s in his hometown. Sergeant Billy John later transferred to the U.S. base in where he continues to develop his special expertise in explosives. He is recognized among the top five demolitions experts in the world. Sergeant Leyton Wesley completed his tour of duty in South Korea. For a short time he preformed contractual work for the U.S. Army. He has since moved back to his home state of Texas – in Richardson – where he operates a successful camera and photography shop. He is married and looking forward to his new baby. Greco Mohammed has retired – or at least that what he says at the moment. This time might, however, be different. With Maria, his wife, they live in Georgetown with twin boys who both have their mother’s famous blue eyes.