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  James handed the Korean a mug of coffee, which Hiko took gratefully.

  “Can you update us?” McCarter asked. “Don’t want to hurry you, but we get the feeling things are kind of on the knife edge. We were briefed before we left. I just want to confirm we’re talking the same language.”

  “Kayo Pak lives in a fishing village on the coast about five miles from the research center. He has a sound base there as a net repairman and fisherman, which allows him to move around. We built him a full background before he went in, and it’s holding. He feeds us information about what goes on there.

  “He’s the guy you have to thank for the data we forwarded. In turn he’s been receiving the data from his own person working at the base. Li Kam is a North Korean who trained as a specialist in pulse physics in Pyongyang. She works in Emanuel Absalom’s department on the current project. Her knowledge on the NNEMP is second only to Absalom’s.”

  “And she can be trusted?” Hawkins asked. His skepticism was not hidden.

  Hiko nodded. “If you read her file, you’ll understand she has no reason to love the North Korean regime.” He tapped the folder.

  “Is she in the clear?” McCarter asked. “I’m sure there must be one hell of an investigation going on following the Hawaiian incident.”

  Hiko nodded. “In her last contact with Pak, she said that Major Choi, the man in command of the project, has shut the place down. No one in or out of the compound any longer, except for the military. So she’s inside. Choi is going to be checking into every aspect of the operation.”

  “And if she’s caught?”

  Hiko didn’t need to respond. He simply opened the file and slid out a photograph. It showed an attractive young woman in her late twenties. It was the same image Phoenix Force had seen back at Stony Man during their briefing.

  “We need to get her out of that place,” Hiko said. “And if possible destroy the research lab. Li has confirmed that all the specifications for the project are kept there in a main computer bank. If the place is destroyed, the North Koreans lose everything they’ve built up. Years of it. And Kayo Pak needs to leave, as well. He’s risked too much himself to stay behind now. He will relocate in South Korea and take up other duties.”

  “Can you contact him?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ll go in and meet him,” McCarter said. “He can guide us to the base.”

  “You cannot simply cross the border and walk to the base. It is at the top of North Korea, a long way from even the closest crossing. Bordering China and Russia. And also your faces would not fit.”

  McCarter dropped a hand on the Korean’s shoulder.

  “We won’t be walking across country, old son. We discussed this during the flight. The U.S. Navy can ferry us up to where we can swim ashore and meet Pak right on his home ground.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  Encizo said, “It won’t be easy. No question there, Hiko. These things never are. But one way or the other, we have to do it.”

  Hiko nodded. “Yes. Major Choi is a hard man. Extremely suspicious of everything. If he works out that Li Kam was responsible for creating the accident, he will have her arrested and taken away. If that happens, we may not be able to save her.”

  “Up to us to get to her first, then,” Encizo said.

  “How soon can we move out?” McCarter asked.

  “Let me finish this coffee while you put your gear together, then we can go.”

  “Tell me more about Li Kam,” McCarter said as he started to pack his equipment.

  “Li Kam has been doing this for a couple years,” Hiko explained. “Her parents died at the hands of the North Korean regime. They were just simple fisherfolk who ran up against a local corrupt administrator. When they refused to back down, the man had them arrested and sent to one of the camps for so-called reindoctrination.

  “They survived for almost a year in the same camp but were separated. They saw each other every day through a barbed-wire fence. Kam’s father died first. He just gave up. Refused to work so the guards beat him every time he defied them. In the end he died from his prolonged injuries. The day after he died, Kam’s mother took her own life by tearing open her wrists on the barbed wire.

  “Li Kam was later recruited by Kayo. Her computer skills and qualifications in physics already had her fast-tracked into the North Korean program, looking into pulse weapons, when she was noticed by agents searching for new talent. Believe me, Li is no fool when it comes to putting on a performance. She submitted a paper praising Emanuel Absalom’s work.

  “After Absalom had read her paper, even before he signed on with the North Koreans, he had asked for her to join the team. She was offered a position in the research department working on NNEMP weapons. We couldn’t have done better if we’d chosen ourselves.”

  “And she’s been able to feed you data?” McCarter asked.

  “She’s been our eyes and ears on the project for the last few months. Her qualifications as a system physicist have been invaluable. She has been able to interpret all the research being done. And she has kept a close watch on Absalom’s work on a daily basis. Her only regret is the fact she was unable to prewarn us about the Hawaii test. Even she was not informed about it. She knew there was going to be a field trial, but the location was kept from everyone in the facility.”

  “Sounds as if there isn’t much departmental trust in that place,” Encizo said.

  “You’re not wrong there,” Hiko said. “The North Korean military mind-set has a default that is fixed on paranoia. They exist on mistrust. They can’t, won’t, trust. In their eyes, there’s a sinister plot around every corner. Which makes for an extremely suspicious atmosphere.” Hiko paused. “This is where our deceptions have been blessed. To have Li actually inside the project was something we could not have planned better.”

  McCarter said, “How the hell have you managed that?”

  Hiko smiled. “With care and a lot of luck, I guess.” He took a moment to reflect. “Li’s worst times come when Major Choi is prowling around. He oversees the research unit for the North Korean hierarchy. A real party man who watches and listens to everything, from what Li tells me. He allows no slack in the lab. Everything has to be according to the rules. He would see any deviation as deliberate. You break the rules with Choi, and he’ll break you.”

  “Sounds like a barrel of laughs,” Hawkins muttered. “Let’s hope we don’t run across him.”

  Hiko inclined his head. “If you do, you’ll recognize him.”

  “Has there been much from Li Kam since the Hawaiian mishap?” Manning asked.

  “She managed to get one brief message to Pak about how things have been tightened up, before the site was closed off. The unit is on edge. Choi is convinced the problem lies there.”

  “He believes they’re at fault?” McCarter said.

  “For what?” Hawkins asked. “An error? Sabotage?”

  Hiko remained silent, and it was that nonanswer that made McCarter look at him closely.

  “Bugger me,” he said. “You know what happened. Don’t keep us hanging, mate.”

  “Choi is right that the fault came from inside the unit.”

  “But he can’t figure out what caused it?” James said.

  Hiko shook his head. “He has no proof. Not yet at least. He had guaranteed no one in the unit would learn when and where the test took place. The only one in the unit who had prior knowledge was Absalom and, of course, Major Choi. So he had to be careful about accusing anyone.”

  Hawkins said, “Son of a bitch. If Choi finds out who worked the sabotage, it could end up being hard on her.”

  “Yes.” Hiko went on, “Li knew a test was planned but not where or when. The only way she could attempt a breakdown was by planting a bug in the programmed system. One of h
er specialties is computer coding. She planted a worm in the program. It was supposed to destroy the outgoing missile before it reached the target.

  “Unfortunately it worked the opposite way. The NNEMP reached its target because the worm acted too slowly. It reduced the NNEMP’s effect to less than was expected. Even so, it still caused damage on the Coast Guard base and killed the members of the helicopter caught in the burst. But it also blew back into the launch platform on board the vessel. The explosion damaged the ship and caused it to sink.” Hiko shrugged. “I don’t have any regrets about the North Koreans who were killed. What they did was an act of war.”

  “And Li?” James asked.

  “What do you think?” Hiko said. “I do not think she will have any regrets—apart from the fact her sabotage did not work exactly to plan. The North Koreans killed her family. She would see this as going partway to getting some kind of justice.”

  “So Choi hasn’t been able to figure out how this happened?” McCarter said.

  “Not yet. He doesn’t have enough computer knowledge himself to be able to understand something like that. From what Li passed to Pak earlier, Absalom would be in the dark, too. He understands the NNEMP but has to depend on Li and the other techs to translate his theories into computer language.

  “For Absalom, losing the ship meant they also lost the unit. He’s going to be more concerned about that than the loss of life. Until they get their hands on that unit, they won’t be able to work out what happened, unless one of the techs can figure it out and discover that someone altered the computer program.”

  “A tricky time for Li,” Manning said. “If this Major Choi is as keen as you suggest, he’ll be keeping the research team under close watch while he investigates.”

  “It’s certain he won’t be making things easy for them,” Hiko said. “Choi will be under pressure from Pyongyang to find out what happened. His own career will be at risk, as well.”

  “And the North Koreans can’t openly claim the wreck, because they’d be admitting they were involved,” Encizo added.

  “Yes,” Hiko said. “They will be angry at the loss of valuable equipment but fearful that any recovery might point the finger at them, if there’s anything left to identify. So their team in Hawaii is going to be uneasy.”

  “We need to update our people and have a watch put on the area,” McCarter said.

  He moved away and took out his sat phone to put in a call to Stony Man. When he made contact, he brought Brognola up-to-date with the situation.

  “I’ll pass the information along to Able Team,” Brognola said. “They’ll need to be aware the North Koreans may be mounting a damage limitation operation. Once the salvage team makes recovery, time is going to be on short supply for the Koreans.”

  “They’ll be in a panic,” McCarter said. “And that will make them even more dangerous.”

  “We need to ramp up your mission,” Brognola pointed out. “If suspicion falls on Li Kam, she’ll be taken down fast. You need to get into North Korea and extract her. And put that damn research facility out of action, as well.”

  “Okay,” McCarter said. “Shall we do the weekly grocery shopping at the same time, boss?”

  Brognola gave a gruff chuckle. “Sorry, was I being a little heavy-handed there?”

  “The bruises won’t show if I stay in the shadows.”

  “Just go carefully. I want you guys back in one piece. All of you.” Brognola cleared his throat. “Stay safe.”

  McCarter ended the call, a slow smile edging his lips as he stowed away the sat phone.

  “They’re on it,” he said as he rejoined the group. “Our team in Hawaii is about to get an update on the situation.” He turned to Hiko. “And we need to make tracks for North Korea. Is the research site heavily defended?” McCarter asked, scanning the map.

  “There is a small military unit stationed at the research facility,” Hiko said. “Choi keeps the place low-key. The site is pretty isolated, so they don’t get too many visitors. Locals stay well away. The last thing they want is to come within range of the guards’ weapons. There are helicopters for ferrying people back and forth, and making air patrols.

  “The research team lives on site. They only leave occasionally to make trips to the local village to buy fresh food and to take breaks from the lab. When they do, they are driven there by the soldiers and supervised. Li Kam passes her information to Kayo Pak when she goes to the village. But since the Hawaii problem, Major Choi has halted all outside activity for the research people. All other supplies and equipment are flown in.”

  Encizo tapped the map. “Not far from the coast. That could be a possible way in for us.”

  “There’s a small natural harbor close by,” Hiko explained. “It is where a security section is housed. Li said the area is watched over by a couple patrol boats stationed in the bay.”

  McCarter spent some time poring over the map and the coastline that bordered the harbor. “So we go for insertion from the water. Just like we discussed on the plane,” he said.

  Manning said, “Get the Navy to ferry us in as close as they can and let us off.”

  “You realize how cold that water will be this time of year?” Hawkins said. “Not that I don’t like cold water. Preferably in a glass with ice cubes on a hot day.”

  “Man has a point,” Encizo said.

  “Bunch of old ladies,” McCarter scoffed. “Hiko?”

  “Not impossible,” the Korean said. “You would need to allow time to get over the low temperature. Not much point having all those weapons if you’re too cold to handle them.”

  “I bloody hate it when common sense prevails over reckless adventurism,” McCarter said. “But I bow to your wisdom. So we’ll go in a couple hours before dawn. Find ourselves a spot to get organized and thaw out the blue bits.”

  McCarter couldn’t come up with any alternative scenarios. Coming in by land would have been more or less impossible given the distance from the North-South line. An air drop posed similar restrictions. Even a HALO jump would have left them open to being spotted by the North Koreans. The ocean incursion looked to be the most likely, and even that was not without its problems.

  Apart from having Stony Man run some satellite scans over the research station, Phoenix Force would be going in with limited forward planning. It was not the most advisable way to make a strike. If this had been done the correct way, there would have been time spent on meticulous planning, with every avenue explored and every possibility covered.

  Stony Man and the operatives who carried out the missions under its banner very seldom had that privilege. They were, as usual, given their orders and moved on them within a short time. Once in the field, they hit hard, and they hit fast, without having to refer back to their base whether a target was a go.

  Nor did they need to wait for permission to pull the trigger; decisions were made on the spot, and the covert operatives were not beholden to anyone sitting hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles away. Split-second assessments were made by Phoenix Force and Able Team, because an enemy might have his own weapon up and ready to fire. Survival, the success or failure of a mission, came down to simple field decisions. McCarter understood these criteria, and he trusted his team to work along the same lines.

  “You okay?”

  McCarter glanced up from the map and looked across the table at Gary Manning. The broad-shouldered Canadian had a serious expression on his face.

  “Fine,” the Briton said.

  “Really? You want to convince me? From here you look worried.”

  “This could be a tricky one,” McCarter said. “We’re going in with little, or no, intel on the target. Into a bad place. And...”

  “And we’ve done this before. Many times,” Manning said. “We all understand the setup.” Manning lowered his voice. “No sweat, Davi
d. We’re behind you. Don’t worry about the rest of us. You lead the charge, and we’ll follow.” He paused, then said, “In this case it could be a hell of a distance behind.” A grin followed his final words.

  “There I was thinking I’m the crazy one on this team.”

  “Don’t you believe it, mate.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Barbara Price, the mission controller, listened as McCarter outlined what Phoenix Force required and refrained from making any comments, until he had finished. She was used to the combat teams requesting the impossible, and even as McCarter was outlining his request, her agile mind was working on the logistics of the problem.

  “I’ll get back to you ASAP,” she said.

  “Sorry, love,” McCarter’s voice came over the sat phone. “I know it’s a lot to ask.”

  Price chuckled. “No problem,” she said. “Have I ever let you down before?”

  “No. I’ll wait for your call.”

  Price clicked off and leaned against her desk, staring across the room as she assimilated McCarter’s request. She ran a hand through her hair, took a breath and picked up an internal phone. She pushed a button.

  “Hal. Barb. We need to talk. Fast. And you have to get the President on standby.”

  * * *

  “I DID SAY anything your people needed?” the President asked. “Remind me, Hal.”

  Brognola smiled at the President’s grim humor. “Sir, I cannot tell a lie.”

  “Stay on your end, and I’ll call you back. Let’s see if I really do have the clout I like to imagine I have.”

  Brognola glanced across at Price as she entered his office.

  “We still in a job?” she asked.

  “I’ll let you know when the Man phones back. He’s about to start calling in some heavy favors on this one.”

  “I had a word with Aaron. He’s opening a secure line through to Zero. He’s asked for a satellite sweep of the North Korean location Hiko gave us.”