Nina felt decidedly uneasy about the way he was looking at her and Eddie. ‘I’m going to guess that you’re not talking about bribing some North Korean guard to sneak in a camera.’
‘I’m afraid not. We need someone who can get in there by offering the North Koreans something they need — and then get back out to tell us what they’ve seen.’
Eddie’s eyebrows rose as he realised where the American was leading. ‘You mean us? You want us to go on a spying mission into North fucking Korea?’
‘You’re the only people who can do it,’ MacNeer explained. ‘You found the Crucibles in the first place, you retrieved them from the Greek, and you know how they work — both in turning mercury into gold and uranium into plutonium. There isn’t anybody else who could conceivably offer the Crucible you recovered to the Koreans. It would be too suspicious.’
‘It’ll be suspicious anyway!’ Nina protested. ‘What, are we supposed to rock up to the North Korean embassy and tell them, “Hey, we know that Fenrir Mikkelsson sold you the big Crucible, but we’ll let you complete the set if you show us your secret underground base”?’
MacNeer almost smiled before catching himself. ‘That’s kind of a sarcastic way of putting it, but… yes, in essence.’
‘And why the bloody hell would they believe us?’ said Eddie.
‘Because they do not know you,’ said Seretse. ‘If you make them an offer that seems mercenary, even positively rapacious in its demands, they will think you are simply after money — because the North Koreans believe all foreigners, especially Americans, are greedy, imperialist monsters.’
‘Except for Dennis Rodman, I guess,’ Nina said.
‘If there’s one thing they love to do,’ added MacNeer, ‘it’s show off all the incredible technology that they’re going to use to destroy America and conquer the world. Granted, most of it’s twenty to thirty years behind us, but that doesn’t mean they won’t give you a guided tour if you tell them you want to hand over the Crucible in person.’
Eddie was still dubious, to say the least. ‘Okay, so even if they decide to let us in, then what?’
‘All you need to do is confirm that they’re manufacturing plutonium, or intending to. Once you’re safely out of the country and report in, Special Forces will take care of the rest.’
‘How? They can’t just take a cab across the DMZ.’
MacNeer gave him a knowing look. ‘North Korea’s air defence radars can’t pick up our stealth aircraft, and we’re sure of that because we’ve been doing covert overflights for years. And the B-2 can deliver more than bombs.’
‘What, they can carry paratroopers?’ Eddie said in disbelief. ‘Since when?’
‘Since we built pressurised drop pods that fit in the bomb bays.’
Eddie laughed. ‘Thought you said this wasn’t a Tom Clancy novel!’
The official held in his amusement, then became serious once more. ‘Once you confirm that the facility’s being used to develop nuclear weapons, a team will HALO-jump on to the mountain above it, inside the perimeter, so the North Koreans won’t even know they’re there. They’ll descend to a position above the runway tunnel, which based on our thermographic analysis is the only way in or out, and plant explosives. When they’re clear, they’ll blow the charges and collapse the tunnel. Problem solved.’
‘But how will the soldiers get out of the country?’ Nina asked.
‘By doing what they’re trained to do. I’m sure Mr Chase knows what I mean.’
Eddie was still unconvinced. ‘Not saying I couldn’t do it, but getting out of North Korea without support? Not easy.’
‘They can do it,’ said MacNeer. ‘But it’s up to you whether or not they get the chance. If you don’t go, it might take months to confirm what’s going on by other means.’
‘And by then it may be too late,’ Seretse added sonorously.
‘You’re asking a hell of a lot,’ said Nina, worried. ‘We’re not spies, but you want us to go on an espionage mission into one of the most paranoid regimes on the planet! If they suspect anything, we won’t get out again even if a former president flies in to Pyongyang to ask for our release, like Bill Clinton did for those journalists.’
‘I know one former president who’d fly in just to tell ’em to keep us,’ muttered Eddie.
‘We’d be putting ourselves in danger again,’ Nina continued, ‘and we only just got out of it!’ She gingerly touched her arm, where a bandage under her sleeve covered the now-sutured bullet wound. ‘I got shot, and my grandmother almost died. And we’ve got a daughter now — if anything happened to us…’ She let the statement hang in the air.
Seretse nodded. ‘I completely understand your reluctance. But at the same time, I am sure you are aware of the seriousness of the threat. Perhaps if you take some time to think the proposal over?’
‘Not too much, though,’ said MacNeer.
‘I’m already fairly sure what my answer will be, but… yeah. We’ll think about it,’ she said. Eddie nodded in agreement. ‘I’ll let you know our decision as soon as we’ve made it.’
The State Department official was clearly disappointed, but kept his expression neutral as he shook their hands. ‘Do please give the matter full consideration,’ implored Seretse. ‘There is a great deal at stake.’
‘We will, don’t worry,’ Eddie told him. ‘All right, let’s go and get Macy.’
They made their way through the Secretariat Building to the IHA’s offices, where Macy had been left with Lola. When the couple arrived, they found that their daughter had drawn a small crowd of other colleagues. ‘Hey, Macy, here are your mommy and daddy!’ Lola trilled.
‘Told you it was “mommy”.’ Nina nudged her husband, smirking.
‘Mummy,’ he sighed, before picking up the little girl. ‘Ay up, love! Did you miss us?’
Macy shook her head. ‘Lola let me talk to all her friends!’ She waved at the smiling group around her.
‘Good to feel wanted,’ Eddie said with another sigh.
‘Is everything okay?’ Lola asked Nina as the others laughed. ‘You look a bit… you know, that look you get when something’s about to catch fire or explode.’
‘We’re fine,’ Nina assured her. ‘We’ve just got something big to think about, that’s all. Was Macy okay with you?’
The blonde grinned. ‘Are you kidding? She’s gorgeous. You two have made one heck of a little girl. She’s been drawing, singing — even showing off how much she knows about archaeology.’
Eddie groaned. ‘And so it begins.’
‘Quiet, you,’ said Nina. She took Macy from him. ‘We’ve got to go now, honey.’
‘Where are we going?’ the little girl asked.
Nina paused before answering, then smiled. ‘To see your great-grandma.’
When Nina cautiously entered the hospital room, she thought at first that Olivia was asleep. She was about to withdraw when a weak voice reached her. ‘Nina?’
‘Hi,’ she replied softly, going to the bed. Her grandmother looked older and far more frail than when she had first met her. Her skin was still pale from her ordeal. A colourless fluid ran down an intravenous line into her arm. ‘How are you feeling?’
Olivia opened her eyes. They at least still had the same spark as before, even through her exhaustion. ‘I’m as good as could be expected, thank you. A little lighter, though. They had to amputate two of my toes. Frostbite.’
Nina was horrified. ‘Oh my God!’
‘One from each foot, so fortunately they balance out.’ A faint weary smile. ‘Apart from the need to buy a completely new collection of shoes, I should make a full recovery, they tell me. Again, as well as could be expected for an eighty-nine-year-old. But,’ another smile, this time a little wider, ‘at least I should make ninety. Thanks to you and Eddie.’ She tilted her head, trying to see past Nina to the door. ‘Is he here?’