Eventually he spotted the right block, and decided to run up 3 flights of stairs rather than wait for the decrepit elevator.
So as not to wake Natasha, he quietly pushed the door open and stepped inside. He was confronted with the muzzle of a gun against his temple.
"Where the hell have you been? What were you thinking? When do you avoid security?" asked a very agitated Natasha.
"Don’t you have any more W questions for me? I went for a run, what’s the problem?"
Natasha lowered the gun, "I could have shot you. Russia is not safe. It is my fault I guess for not explaining the rules."
"Security is our first priority. Always lock the door. I will give you a key. Never leave here without letting me know where you are going and how long you will be gone. Give me a SARTIME" said Natasha.
"A what?" asked Matt.
"SARTIME stands for search and rescue time. It is the time we will come looking for you. Work out what time you will be back, and then add a margin for error. Maybe thirty minutes should work out ok" explained the infuriated Natasha.
Chapter 54
It took three weeks for Kamal to sail from Russia to a boat yard in the far north of North Korea.
He took a satellite telephone from his bag when he was approaching North Korean waters and let his contact there know when he was due to arrive.
He arrived under the cover of darkness and there were four new workers here just for this job. They were recruited from other parts of the country.
On arrival, the old masts were immediately removed and the boat was pulled from the water on a cradle and it was moved into a large covered area, away from the prying eyes of satellites and spies. The workmen also slept in this area, and they had no contact with anyone else in the yard. Security was tight.
The next day the task of transforming the boat began in earnest.
The old masts were scrapped. They removed the old engine and installed a brand new Japanese Yanmar diesel.
Next the electrics were removed and completely updated. An electric bilge pump was fitted. Radar and GPS were added as well. A chest type refrigerator was also installed.
New sails were manufactured and were marked with a yacht club logo and sail number that Kamal had requested.
Some of the fiberglass work looked rough, particularly on the deck. Fiberglass filler was applied in layers then sanded back until the hull and deck were both mirror smooth. When it was done, an epoxy undercoat was sprayed over everything, and a polyurethane paint was used to spray the hull black. The deck was painted blue. Both were designed to make the finished product harder to see.
It looked decidedly rough when it arrived at the boatyard, but when complete is was a thing of beauty. The name "Surprise — New York" was expertly sign written on the stern.
The boat was re-launched at night when the rest of the yard was deserted. A new single mast was fitted making the new craft unrecognizable from the little boat that sailed from Russia. Lastly, the refrigerator and cupboards were stocked with food for the long journey. The freezer contained a good helping of lobster.
As Kamal was leaving the dock, he heard the four shots that ended the lives of the craftsmen who had remodeled his yacht.
This mission was way too important to leave anything to chance.
Chapter 55
Colonel Kim Ji-Sung believed himself to be the ultimate patriot. He had been in the North Korean air force all his life, his father and grandfather had spent their lives in the army and were proud that Kim had chosen the newer calling. Kim always regretted that they did not live long enough to see his rapid rise through the ranks of the eighty thousand strong Korean People’s Army Air force.
Kim could fly anything in the North Korean military, but he was under no illusion about the aerial inferiority of his beloved country. Their fleet was at least ten years outgunned at the top end in fighters, and the small bomber, transport, and rotary wing fleets were a joke compared to the latest offering in the military service in the western world.
It was a pity that he did not get to fly more these days, but as his position of power grew, so did the responsibility. Now he was much more involved in planning, administration and policy.
Unlike the general population, Kim had seen the other side of life. He had twice represented his country at overseas military get togethers with neighboring countries. He had travelled once to Russia to the north, and once to South Korea. Kim had learned passable English and was a valuable asset in negotiations.
His visit to Seoul was the most amazing day of his life. The high rise buildings, modern cars and colorful clothes left a lasting impression on Kim during the taxi ride to his hotel. As was the custom when North Koreans ventured south into democratic land, he was constantly shadowed by security staff, and was given zero latitude to interact with his non-communist brothers.
That was a year ago, but the memories had not dimmed with time. How he wished he had somehow found a way to take his family to Seoul with him. He was convinced life would have been very different today.
His life had been a relatively happy one until the light of his life, his daughter June-Hee became sick. In a week it became obvious that it was getting worse and Kim threw his weight around to get her admitted to a military hospital.
Poor safeguards at nuclear facilities meant that North Korean doctors were well acquainted with leukemia, and after June-Hee’s diagnosis, Kim was told that nothing could be done as the drugs that could keep his daughter alive were in short supply in his country. It was heartbreaking to watch his beautiful daughter fade away and she was buried three weeks after being admitted to hospital.
For Kim, his life was totally transformed when he returned home after a two week military exercise. He found his wife Mee dead in the bathtub where she had slashed her wrists. Taped to the mirror in the bathroom was a note that shook his whole being, he could not even finish reading the tome, it was just too painful. He screwed it up into a ball and flushed it away.
That was three months ago, and since then Kim had spent a great deal of time reflecting on his life and his obligations to his country.
Kim had seen that there was more to life outside the strict confines of North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang. Earlier that day he had read a secure communiqué and made a decision that would affect his future, and possible the security of his nation.
Now it was time to put in place his hastily thought out plan.
Kim picked up his office phone and spoke with his aide.
"Rhee, I need to get some flying hours up, book me three hours in a MIG-15 trainer this afternoon at 3pm."
He had a choice of lots of aircraft, but the old MIG-15 first deployed in 1949 and still in use as a two seat trainer was needed for today’s mission. It had a top speed of six hundred and seventy miles an hour and a range of over one thousand miles, much more than he needed. It was not the top speed he needed, it was the slowest speed. Also, it would be fairly obvious to anyone looking, that this ancient little aircraft was unarmed.
This was a little unusual as Rhee knew that Kim was senior enough not to need to keep current. But he instantly snapped back "Of course Colonel, I will arrange a car to take you to the airfield, is 2.30pm suitable, sir?"
"Yes thank you Rhee, also things will be quiet here this afternoon with me away, please take the rest of the day off after I leave."
Rhee beamed with excitement, he had worked for Kim for three years and done his utmost to shine in the most boring of support jobs, but perhaps he had finally been recognized, "thank you sir, I will go and visit my parents."