Mark continued, “We did not read the message you sent. We just followed the traffic, so we are not sure what you guys have going on. But you should know that as we were looking into this yesterday, we discovered that your message to PACOM went not just through Wuhan, China. It went through a military base. A group of people that work there saw your message. We actually have had to deal with that group before. They are a cyberwarfare unit in the People’s Liberation Army. They are the Chinese military’s hacking unit. We even know the person that intercepted your message. We’ve had to deal with him before too. We don’t know who he is, we just know him by his handle, or his username. He’s known as ‘SLOTHMAN’. Using our own— methods—“ Mark looked at J.D., “we understand that as soon as SLOTHMAN saw your message, he placed a call to the man we assess to be his boss — the head of that Cyberwarfare unit. We don’t know who he is yet. He’s a mysterious figure. His handle is NATPAC.”
Sara looked at Matt. His hand was on his forehead. “Oh, no” he moaned quietly. Sara looked back at Mark. “So what does that mean?” She asked.
“I asked J.D. to look into it further. What he found last night was even more unsettling, and that’s why we needed to come over here to tell you.”
“What?” Anderson asked.
“About 30 seconds after NATPAC received the phone call from SLOTHMAN, he placed a phone call of his own. He called a number in Beijing. J.D. figured out that it went to a Chinese State government building. Whoever received NATPAC’s phone call, made a call right after speaking to NATPAC. This person’s call went to a city outside of China. It went to a number in Pyongyang. In North Korea.”
“Oh my God,” Sara jumped.
Anderson started running out of the room. Sara had rarely heard panic in his voice before. “They know Tom’s coming!”
CHAPTER 22
“You all set, sir?” Collins asked Tom. Tom hoisted himself into the dry deck shelter. It is a compartment on a submarine that allows divers to enter and exit while the ship is submerged. It held the SDV. Once the sailors on the outside close the hatch, water fills the compartment to equalize pressure with the water outside. Then the outer door opens, allowing the diver or SEAL to exit the submarine.
Tom sat in his diving gear, with his flippers on his feet and his Draeger Rebreather around his chest. All of his weapons and gear were hanging on his body. Around him in the dry deck shelter, a team of Navy divers sat with their diving gear as well.
Tom took a look at the SDV. It looked good, he thought. He liked using equipment he had been familiar with over many years. The SDV was not an airtight vehicle. Water flowed through it, so Tom had to wear his diving gear while operating it. The SDV had air tanks on board, so while Tom was driving it to shore, he did not need to use up his own oxygen. Tom checked that his helmet was strapped on tight and that his diving mask was secure on his face.
“Yes. Thanks, Collins.” Tom replied.
Collins saluted Tom. His face was serious, his back straight. He had probably been briefed on the mission, Tom thought. Tom was no longer in the military, as the SAD was a unit within the CIA, a civilian agency. But Tom appreciated the gesture. He returned a crisp salute.
Collins grabbed the hatch and shut it. Tom looked around and saw the light of the submarine disappear. Water started to seep into the compartment. Tom put in the mouthpiece of his Draeger unit and started breathing the metallic-tasting oxygen. Soon the water was above his head. Once the water pressure equalized, the outer door opened. The open sea awaited him.
Tom and the Navy divers pushed out the SDV. The sea was dim and cold, but serene. Once outside the dry deck shelter, Tom pulled himself onto the seat of the SDV. He started the controls and accelerated the vehicle towards shore. It felt like riding a motorcycle underwater. Tom looked at his compass. He needed to head due west. The shore was only a few nautical miles away. He walked through the plan in his head. A half-mile from shore, he would park the SDV on the seabed and swim the rest of the way underwater. Getting on the beach should not be a challenge either, Tom thought. His gear did not release any bubbles. Furthermore, Anderson had said that there was a low troop presence. It was also late at night — everyone here should be garrisoned by now.
CHAPTER 23
Anderson, Sara, Matt, and their new friends from the NSA burst into the Command Room like a pack of wild animals. Anderson’s voice maintained a certain calm as he began asking questions.
“Did Tom leave the Virginia yet? Someone get in contact with the George Washington. Tell them order the Virginia to abort this mission.” Everyone in the room looked back at him frozen with faces of shock.
Matt ran to his station and picked up his phone. He had set up a direct line with the George Washington. “This is Matt. We need to abort Devil’s Fork. I repeat abort Devil’s Fork.” He listened to a response at the other end, then frantically said “Radio the Virginia. Order them to abort. Order them to break radio silence and report status.”
Anderson looked at his team, “Did Tom radio in yet?”
“Not yet.” One analyst responded.
Anderson turned to one of the analysts on his right. “When are we getting the next set of satellite imagery of that area?” Sara remembered that the last satellite images they looked at were perhaps half a day old.
“Actually in about 10 minutes, John.”
Sara looked at her watch. “If we were on schedule, he would have launched the SDV by now. He would probably be parking it by now.” She turned around and saw Mark and J.D. staring at the chaos from the back of the room. They look liked they cared this time, she thought.
After a few minutes, Matt turned around, covering the phone with his hand. His face had a raspberry-like hue. “The Virginia is saying that Tom launched already. There’s no way to radio him now until he gets ashore and radios back.”
Anderson stood in the middle of the room. His arms were crossed, but one was supporting his forehead. He looked like he was in deep thought. Sara thought she could help him out.
“It might be fine. Mission plan was for him to radio as soon as he’s on the beach. So when he does that, we’ll just tell him to abort, right? He doesn’t need to go any further.”
“I hope we can do that,” Anderson said while shaking his head slowly, “But we might not be able to call it off in time. If his radio doesn’t work, or it only works after he’s a mile in, or if he gets caught right on the beach it will be too late.” Sara stared at him as she continued thinking. A part of her wanted to start crying, but she willed it away. She had to hold herself together now, she thought. That’s what Tom needed.
Anderson thought some more. He pointed at Matt.
“Matt, ask the George Washington if they can put a couple of Marine platoons on standby, with helicopters too. To get Tom out if we need to.”
Matt slowly raised the phone to his head, as he thought about the implications.
Sara turned to Anderson, “But if we send in the Marines to get him out, and they get into a firefight with the North Korean Army, it could spark a war. They could think we are invading them.”
Anderson said coolly, “I’m hoping we don’t get to that point. I want the option ready just in case. I’m hoping that the North’s military presence is still low on that beach and that they’ve only beefed up the area around that base.”