The gate was still closed, and Kwan was pointing down the road. In the twilight, she could see a knot of people trudging unsteadily toward the mission’s gate. She hadn’t slowed down, and he opened the gate before she reached it.
She turned onto the road and hurried toward the group. She could tell they needed help just from the way they walked — exhausted, barely lifting a foot before putting it down again. As she got closer, she could see darker patches in the dirt and grime that covered them.
She called behind, to people still in the compound. “Ok, get a stretcher!”
An older woman was in front, leading a glassy-eyed little boy. A few steps behind was a girl, and a young man with an older woman on his back in a fireman’s carry. The girl saw Kary come out the gate and ran to meet her, calling, “Ajumma, please help us, my mother, my brother…”
Kary ran past the girl, then the woman and boy, and reached up for the mother. She could only hope the wound wasn’t as bad as it looked, because the upper part of her garment on that side was dark with blood. Even in the sunset’s light, the woman, perhaps a little over thirty, was dangerously pale. The man, his face streaked with dirt and perspiration, kept walking as Kary examined his passenger.
She was still alive, although her pulse was fast and weak. Lifting the corner of her bloody garment, Kary could see a round hole. She’d seen enough bullet wounds in the past few days, and could only guess what it had done to the bones in her shoulder. There would be a much messier wound in the front, although resting on her savior’s shoulder may have staunched the bleeding somewhat.
Two of her helpers arrived with the stretcher, and positioning it behind the pair, they gently leaned the woman back, and then level, before setting off at speed for the dispensary. The man nodded and wearily said “Thank you” before falling, first to his knees, and then face-first onto the road. His back was bloodstained as well, and the girl, pointing, said, “His name is Cho. He’s hurt, too.”
Kary called for another stretcher, then told the girl to follow the others with her mother. Taking Cho’s hand, she knelt down next to him and waited for help.
Chapter 8 — Unleashed
Rhee paused briefly to adjust his uniform and made sure his black beret was snug under his belt. His right shoulder protested the quick movements, but he ignored the pain, and once satisfied, strode into the outer office. Marching to the aide’s desk, Rhee snapped to attention and barked, “Colonel Rhee, Commander, Ninth Special Forces Brigade, reporting as ordered.”
There was no need for the aide to use the intercom; everyone in the office heard Rhee, including Major General Kwon.
“Ah, excellent, Colonel, come in,” Kwon remarked as he stepped out of his office. Rhee attempted to render a snappy sharp salute as soon as his superior appeared, but he wasn’t able to get his shoulder to fully comply, nor mask the slight twinge on his face. The general looked intently at Rhee as he returned the salute. He’d seen the subtle facial expression and the favored right shoulder. Pointing to the offending limb, he asked, “What did you do to yourself this time?”
Embarrassed, Rhee stretched his shoulder out as he replied. “It was a bumpy transfer to the helicopter, sir. The seas were rough and I was unceremoniously jerked off the submarine’s deck. I much prefer jumping into the ocean from a helicopter. Being reeled in felt too much like being a fish — very disconcerting.”
Kwon laughed at Rhee’s explanation. The colonel had a well-earned reputation for a dry, eccentric sense of humor. “Well, I’ll try not to have you dangle on a line like some halibut in the future,” teased Kwon. Then more seriously, “But it couldn’t be helped this time. We have a momentous task on our hands, Colonel, and I have a special job for your Ghosts. Please, come in to my office.”
Rhee followed the general, who gestured to one of the large chairs in a back corner of the room, away from the desk. An enlisted steward brought up the rear with a beverage tray, offering a cup of tea, first to Kwon, then Rhee. “Would you care for some tea or coffee, Colonel?” asked the sergeant.
“Tea would be splendid. Thank you.”
Kwon sat down and sipped his tea, waiting for the sergeant to depart and close the door. “I read your preliminary report, Colonel, several times, in fact. I found it… difficult to believe.”
Rhee nodded. “I’m sympathetic to your doubts, sir. I was there, I witnessed the regiments of the 425th Mechanized Corps fighting each other, and I’m still struggling to grasp what I saw. It was most bizarre.”
“I think we’d better get used to the bizarre, Colonel Rhee. It will be with us for some time. I assume you saw a recording of the Supreme Leader’s death?”
“Yes, sir. I watched it on the submarine. The beast got only what he deserved.”
“Be that as it may, that well-executed assassination caught us completely off guard. We had already started to stand units down after Kim’s radio announcement, and we have to undo all that, and quickly.” Kwon rose abruptly and started pacing. “Any further information from your prisoners? Particularly this Pung Jin-Ho?”
“No, sir. Pung is a low-level party official, assigned to the Korean Workers’ Party municipal staff at Chongju. He knows nothing of military value. The only insight of any importance is his knowledge that there are three main factions involved in the fighting: the Kim family, the Korean Workers’ Party, and the General Staff.
“He believes the Kim family’s assets are the weakest of the three, but they are more concentrated around Pyongyang and that makes them still dangerous. From what the American intelligence reports indicate, the KWP and General Staff factions are doing most of the fighting right now. According to our other guest, Corporal Bak, the 425th was split between the KWP and General Staff factions. I think it’s safe to say that the entire North is in complete chaos right now.”
“A chaos that could spread and consume the entire peninsula if we don’t handle this correctly,” remarked Kwon. Rhee watched as his general paced in silence. He had never seen him this somber before. Kwon walked as if there were a heavy load on his shoulders. Suddenly, Rhee felt excitement building within him. Were they actually going to do what he had only dared dream about? He shifted his weight in the chair, struggling to keep his composure, to contain the hope that was welling inside him.
“Yes, Colonel,” Kwon answered without even looking in Rhee’s direction. “President An authorized Operation Unity this morning. We are going to reunite our people. After nearly seven decades, we will be whole once more.”
Rhee felt like shouting, but he managed to restrain himself, simply asking, “What do you want me to do, sir?”
“You can begin by stuffing that unbridled optimism of yours back into your rucksack, Colonel,” chided Kwon with a smug grin on his face. “This operation, even under the most favorable of circumstances, isn’t going to be quick, easy, or inexpensive. Our nation is embarking on a task that is going to take us decades to complete. But… if we fail at the onset, it will take far longer and cost us dearly.”
“They’re our kin, sir,” Rhee replied firmly. “Held hostage by criminals. Liberating them is worth every drop of blood spilled, every won spent.”
“Hmmm, I’m not so sure the younger generation shares your burning conviction, Colonel. But still, the majority of our people believe as you do. That is why we’re moving forward. Come over to the map.”
Rhee jumped out of the chair and joined Kwon by the large map of the Korean Peninsula on the wall.